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Strengthening the Andlinger Community
Planning for clean hydrogen market development
There is growing global interest in using hydrogen as a clean fuel, energy storage medium, and low-carbon feedstock as a tool to address climate change, and Princeton faculty are working on many frontiers of this technology. Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment non-resident fellow Harry A. Warren, MAE ‘79, envisioned and helped organize a full-day workshop entitled, Collaborative Opportunities in Hydrogen Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment, that brought together Princeton faculty, government officials, and corporate representatives to discuss the topic.
Princeton faculty shared their research on plasmas for hydrogen production, underground hydrogen storage, and the nexus with water resources. Faculty members included Emily Carter, the Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment and Senior Strategic Advisor for Sustainability Science at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Z. Jason Ren, Catherine Peters, the George J. Magee Professor of Geosciences and Geological Engineering, chair and professor of civil and environmental engineering, and several other Princeton University and PPPL researchers.
Outside participants included Sunita Satyapal, director of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), who discussed the Department’s priorities and programs, including the Hydrogen Shot Initiative and funding for Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs. Upendra J. Chivukula, commissioner of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, discussed the state’s support of clean energy deployment. Representatives of New Jersey Natural Gas and South Jersey Industries discussed utility demonstration projects and shared their companies’ short-term and long-term plans for hydrogen deployment. The gathering led to several channels of continued engagement, such as joining a New York state-led Hydrogen Hub proposal, growing a relationship with the NREL hydrogen team to advise on geological storage of hydrogen, and consideration of a New Jersey project on hydrogen production from reclaimed wastewater.
Since his appointment as a Gerhard R. Andlinger Visiting Fellow in 2019, Harry Warren has continued his involvement with the Andlinger Center as a non-resident fellow. Warren is president of CleanGrid Advisors, co-founder of the Center for Renewables Integration, and a senior consultant for the DOE Loan Program Office.
Harry A. Warren
(Courtesy of Harry Warren)
A full-day workshop that centered around the topic of clean hydrogen was organized by non-resident fellow Harry Warren. (Photo by Bumper DeJesus)
Tokamak reactor (Courtesy of PPPL)
Charting a path for energy systems and energy transitions research
Douglas Arent joined the Andlinger Center in May 2022 as a non-resident fellow. Arent is an executive leadership team member and executive director of Strategic Public Private Partnerships at the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), where he focuses on strategic public and private partnerships to transform global energy economies at speed and scale. Arent brings his extensive research and leadership experience in the energy sector to collaborate with researchers, including Jesse Jenkins, Eric Larson, Chris Greig, and Elke Weber, on developing a strategic roadmap for future growth of energy systems and energy transitions research at Princeton. His plans also include collaborative research on international net-zero efforts, with attention to fostering connections between NREL and Princeton that leverage their unique institutional strengths and can ground long-term working relationships.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions with microbial and electrochemical systems
Harold May joined the Andlinger Center in September 2022 as a Gerhard R. Andlinger Visiting Fellow. May is professor emeritus of microbiology and immunology at the Medical College of South Carolina, where he directed wide-ranging research related to microbial applications for organic pollutant remediation, biofuels, and synthesis of fuels and chemicals from CO2. A fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, May is the founder of two companies focused on microbial production of fuels and chemicals. At Princeton, he will collaborate with Z. Jason Ren, on research to improve the efficiency and throughput of combined microbialelectrochemical methods for converting CO2 into fuels and chemicals, with the aim of developing scalable systems that can be used to capture CO2. To complement these efforts, May plans to organize a workshop at Princeton for the broader research community to identify key research challenges in microbial CO2 capture and foster new collaborations.
Novel plasma methods for energy generation
Jean-Marcel Rax joined the Andlinger Center in September 2022 as a Gerhard R. Andlinger Visiting Fellow. Rax is a university professor at Université de ParisSaclay and École Polytechnique. Among his many accomplishments, Rax has served as technical advisor and scientific advisor to the French Atomic Energy Commission and as director of the Laboratory for Plasma Physics and Technology at École Polytechnique. At Princeton, Rax will collaborate with Nathaniel Fisch, professor of astrophysical sciences, on two projects related to plasma applications in fission and fusion energy. One project will examine reactors for rotating magnetized plasmas to enable efficient reprocessing of spent fuel from nuclear fission. The other project focuses on how injecting pulses of electrons into Tokamak fusion reactors can be used to control the plasma motion and improve reactor performance.
Convening Stakeholders
Over the last year, the Andlinger Center brought leaders in industry and government together with faculty to pursue innovative solutions in energy and the environment. Select highlights are listed below.
E-ffiliates Tech Talk: Vehicle to Grid Technology – August 11, 2021
Webinar: Google 24/7 with ZERO Lab – November 19, 2021
Meeting: PJM energy markets with Community Energy – November 29, 2021
Webinar: “Engage2021 – The Future of Mobility: Decarbonizing Transportation
for Net-Zero 2050” – December 2, 2021
E-ffiliates Tech Talk: On Hydrogen – January 13, 2022
Workshop: ZERO lab Zero-Carbon Technology Consortium – January 21, 2022 and April 4, 2022
Meeting: New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) – Decarbonizing NJ and
the PJM electric grid – April 13, 2022
Workshop: “Collaborative Opportunities in Hydrogen Research, Development,
Demonstration, and Deployment” with Harry Warren – April 27, 2022
E-ffiliates Tech Talk: Direct Air Capture – July 21, 2022
Princeton E-ffiliates Partnership Members Government Testimonies
Our faculty provided expertise and guidance to federal and state decision-makers in the past year.
Steve Cowley, director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), participated on a panel at the White House that emphasized the need for concerted effort by national laboratories, universities, and private industry to accelerate research in fusion energy, a virtually limitless source of clean electricity.
Peter Jaffé, the William L. Knapp ’47 Professor of Civil Engineering, told a joint hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives that the federal government could provide key assistance and guidance for scientists and policymakers seeking to better understand a class of environmental contaminants that have become known as “forever chemicals.”
At the invitation of Chairman Bob Smith, Jesse Jenkins presented to the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment a report that modeled pathways to meet New Jersey’s goal of achieving 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050.
