Promoting energy research, training future professionals, and providing support to energy communities

POSTED ON Jun 22, 2023

The University of Texas at Austin is working to advance energy research and deployment, educate the next generation of energy professionals, and support energy-intensive communities. (Illustration contributor: Juliana Bezerra, Shutterstock.com)

They are also collaborating to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from process heat in manufacturing and work towards replacing hydrocarbon fuels with clean electricity generated through renewable sources like solar and wind.

Earlier this year, the National Science Foundation awarded the University of Texas at Austin funding to lead a group of partners in establishing a regional innovation engine in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico.

This project aims to bridge the gap between research, entrepreneurship, and job creation in the region. The project will focus on advanced energy research and deployment, educating the next generation of energy professionals, and supporting energy-intensive communities.

The grant is the first step towards a possible 10-year, $160 million investment through the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. The participating institutions prioritize community engagement to address regional societal challenges and include comprehensive workforce development to meet regional needs. The service region includes a 66-county area in and around the Permian Basin, encompassing eastern New Mexico and West Texas.

Additionally, nine universities, three national labs, and 37 companies are collaborating to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from process heat in manufacturing.

UT Austin is playing a significant role in this effort by working to replace hydrocarbon fuels with clean electricity generated through renewable sources such as solar and wind.

The new Electrified Processes for Industry without Carbon (EPIXC) Institute has received a $70 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and $74 million from industry and other sources.

Arizona State University will lead the institute and involve researchers from UT Austin, who will apply their expertise in chemical processing and the power grid to the research.

The project will focus on two core challenges: the logistics of switching from natural gas to electric boilers for steam generation and understanding the impact of electrifying manufacturing on the power grid.

The project will also explore using technologies such as induction, microwave, radio-frequency heating, and conventional resistance heaters to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency. This shift could majorly impact manufacturing, accounting for over 30% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions.

Carbon dioxide emissions are one of the biggest problems the world faces today.@UTAustin Engineers are tackling this challenge by joining an alliance of nine universities to replace hydrocarbon fuels used during the manufacturing process with clean electricity 🤘

— Texas Engineering (@CockrellSchool) June 7, 2023