Energy/ Environment
Energy and Environment is a developing thrust area in the IAS. The IAS member institutions have broad and deep capabilities in the modeling of energy infrastructures, and the modeling and observation of global and regional climate systems. In addition, the IAS Institutions have significant programs in the development of technologies that can provide new or enhanced energy sources with reduced emission of greenhouse gases. This year the IAS will identify areas for development in Energy and Environment.
Areas of interest for the IAS in Energy and Environment include:
- Elucidating and predicting climate change over wide ranges of spatial and temporal scales - modeling and experiment.
- Energy infrastructure - modeling, reliability, security, storage, transmission, and efficiency.
- Understanding and solving the problems associated with greenhouse gas emissions - capture, sequestration, measurement, and emissions monitoring.
- Renewable energy sources - biofuels, solar, wind, and geothermal.
- Nuclear Energy - advanced fuel cycles and reactor concepts, and waste disposition.
Over the past year the IAS has started to explore several of these areas. It has funded an economic analysis of alternative fuel technologies. This activity provided information to the IAS to help guide the IAS investment in the area of renewable energy. By submitting the report to the Library of Congress for congressional reference, this analysis helped to raise New Mexico’s profile in alternative fuel technologies. Also in the area of alternative fuels, the IAS supported the development of a Bio-Diesel proposal submitted to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
In the area of energy infrastructure, the IAS supported the development of the Global Energy Observatory. IAS support allowed the development of the initial computer infrastructure for collecting global energy supply and distribution information. This Open-model will provide the base on which to build both education and research programs.
In the area of climate change the IAS supported two efforts. The first supported a New Mexico Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) National Sciences Foundation (NSF) proposal. As part of this proposal, the IAS agreed to fund the development of a Climate Change Research Training Group (RTG). The RTG is a significant collaboration among the IAS institutions. The objectives include the promotion of transdisciplinary linkages across climatology, hydrology, and the socioeconomic sciences. This multi-million dollar proposal was successful and the RTG will start next year. The second effort supported by the IAS was the New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute at New Mexico State University (NMSU). This annual symposium attracts about 200 water experts from around the state to discuss their latest research and technological developments relevant to water resources.
More detailed descriptions of all these activities are given below.
Contacts:
Osman Inal, New Mexico Tech, inal@nmt.edu
Steve Buelow, Los Alamos National Laboratory, buelow@lanl.gov
Dr. Peter Lammers, New Mexico State University, plammers@nmsu.edu
Center for Emerging Energy Technologies: 1st Annual Workshop
September 25th-26th, 2008. Workshop on Spectroscopic Methods in Structure-to-Property Correlation for Catalysts and Electrocatalyst.
Climate Change Research Training Group
In support of a New Mexico Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) project, the IAS is funding the development of a Climate Change Research Training Group (RTG). The RTG is a significant collaboration among the IAS institutions. The objectives are a) to promote transdisciplinary linkages across climatology, hydrology, and the socioeconomic sciences; b) to create a cadre of scientists that are well-versed in modeling tools and the underlying frameworks used in the three scientific domains; and c) to engage M.S. and Ph.D. students and faculty from all degree granting institutions in the state as well as the national laboratories.
Global Energy Observatory
The transition from today’s energy systems, based on fossil fuels, to a future decarbonized or carbon-neutral infrastructure is a problem of global dimensions, but one for which there is no accepted solution, either at the international, national, or regional levels. The Global Energy Observatory is an effort to map (collect, collate and geo-reference), monitor and model energy infrastructures, resources and technologies. By providing the data and models as a moderated Wiki and using open tools we aim to engage the public and experts. Our goal is to use Open Models to understand the evolving energy systems on a global level and to facilitate the transition to a carbon-neutral world while providing affordable energy for all.
New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute Symposium
The New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute at New Mexico State University (NMSU) holds their technical research symposium annually. The symposium attracts about 200 water experts from around the state to discuss their latest research and technological developments relevant to water resources. Brief presentations are made and posters displayed at the one-day event in late summer. The symposium, held since 2002, brings together researchers from academia, the national laboratories, state and federal agencies, private firms, and students from throughout the Southwest.
Economic Analysis of Alternative Fuels Technologies
In this report, Drs. Starbuck, Erickson, and Libbin of New Mexico State University (NMSU) delineate the major features of: (1) ethanol from corn, sorghum, switch grass, sugarcane, and cellulosic materials; and (2) marine based lipids. The analysis addresses the following questions: (1) What is the net energy output and potential from the fuel source? (2) What are the main characteristics and quality of the fuel generated? (3) What co-products are possible? (4) What are the foreseeable economic and environmental effects of large scale production of the fuel; specifically, the impacts of algal production on water resources, and how algal production is affected by water quality? (5) What technical and economic variables limit extremely large scale algal fuel production? and (6) What are the true costs of algal fuel production? The report was submitted to the Library of Congress to inform policy makers and contribute to the formulation of research agendas and funding opportunities for NMSU and the other IAS participant members. The work is preparatory for large scale interdisciplinary grant opportunities that are expected to become available in the near future.
DARPA Bio-Diesel Proposal
The IAS provided program development funds and two Red Team Review members (Rob Duncan and Steve Obrey) for a New Mexico State University (NMSU)-led response submitted to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in 2008 entitled "Processes for the Affordable Manufacture of Algal-Derived JP-8 Surrogate." The effort was lead by P. Lammers, S. Deng, M. Starbuck and N. Khandon at NMSU and also included researchers at the University of New Mexico (UNM), New Mexico Tech, Michigan State University, Princeton University and Western Refining, El Paso, TX.
IAS '08 Annual Conference, May 22-23, Las Cruces
The 2008 IAS Conference was held May 22 and 23 in Las Cruces. The conference was held in partnership with the New Mexico Computing Applications Center (NMCAC). Over 100 scientists from across New Mexico met to propose and evaluate research initiatives for the NMCAC.
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