NSF Engines: Louisiana Energy Transition Engine

此次授予路易斯安那州能源转换引擎的NSF发动机奖将通过推动碳捕获、氢气作为替代燃料、二氧化碳作为原料、可持续水、清洁能源可持续制造以及促进路易斯安那州脱碳途径的经济和政策研究等方面的研究和商业化努力，提高我国在清洁能源方面的创新能力。清洁能源技术将超过目前的实践状态和我们目前的能力，因为这台NSF发动机具有独特的能力，可以利用路易斯安那州独特的地质条件、现有的石油和天然气生产以及下游的石化业务，以及强大的研发基础设施。这将对我们的国家经济和安全产生深远的影响，它将提高美国在全球舞台上竞争的能力，因为世界正在竞相寻找更可持续的能源解决方案，同时还将释放区域经济增长，为整个州创造机会。除了对国家产生重大影响外，NSF引擎还有可能在清洁能源部门创造新的就业机会和培训机会，特别是为服务区域内以往服务不足的社区和/或农村社区创造新的就业和培训机会。如果成功，由NSF引擎驱动的创新生态系统将通过创造解决行业需求的新技术和技术初创公司，带来前所未有的进步，从二氧化碳封存和二氧化碳作为原料，到氢气作为替代燃料，为路易斯安那州带来新的就业机会和经济繁荣。NSF发动机的服务区域覆盖整个路易斯安那州。NSF引擎包括一个由核心合作伙伴组成的大型生态系统，这些合作伙伴来自能源行业、大学(包括历史上的黑人学院和大学、公立和私立四年制院校和两年制院校)、经济和劳动力发展组织、非营利组织和投资公司，这些对NSF引擎的成功至关重要。这种多元化的合作伙伴联盟将是研发、翻译和劳动力发展努力的核心。NSF引擎将专注于与脱碳和向清洁能源过渡有关的六个主题领域。这些专题领域是：(1)碳封存；(2)氢作为替代燃料；(3)利用二氧化碳生产生物燃料或生物产品；(4)能源行业对水的高需求的可持续解决方案；(5)清洁能源行业的可持续制造做法；以及(6)促进能源部门脱碳的政策制定。NSF引擎将组建一个由核心合作伙伴组成的跨行业委员会，他们将共同努力，优先考虑在向可持续、低碳的未来过渡过程中响应能源行业需求的研究计划。具体的研究项目将通过种子资金竞赛得到支持。NSF引擎的研究和翻译目标是：(1)利用区域专业知识来解决与六个确定的主题领域相一致的能源和碳氢化合物转换相关挑战；(2)启动和维持能源转换技术孵化器，优先考虑历史上服务不足的社区，以发展和开发早期技术项目；以及(3)通过在路易斯安那州发展和发展研究、合作伙伴关系、劳动力培训和创业努力，产生和吸引更多实质性的投资、技术、知识产权活动、初创企业和商业活动，以加快能源转换。总而言之，这些目标将使路易斯安那州成为清洁能源技术创新的全球领导者，并加快地区经济增长-为整个社区创造就业机会。合作伙伴联盟为NSF引擎的所有核心功能带来了深厚的专业知识，以确保NSF引擎目标的实现。这些专长包括化学和清洁能源工程；技术商业化、创业和小企业管理；为路易斯安那州居民建立无障碍的职业道路；以及在高等教育、行业、社区和政府之间发展可持续的伙伴关系。NSF引擎与州和地方商会、经济和劳动力发展组织、行业以及路易斯安那州的社区和技术学院系统合作，在全州范围内建立培训和指导机会。具体活动包括培训培训者计划，以教育下一代STEM教育工作者，支持K-12教育工作者将能源过渡主题与STEM基础课程联系起来，以及一项赠款计划，该计划将支持新的、公平的培训机会，以解决清洁能源领域新的和现有的劳动力缺口。劳动力发展活动将优先考虑服务区域内的农村和历来服务不足的社区。NSF引擎汇聚了一个强大的合作伙伴联盟，并确定了与区域资产和优先事项的强大一致性。美国国家科学基金会的引擎已经确定了必须推进的关键研发主题领域，以推动清洁能源创新并更接近净零碳的未来。它将支持研发和转化活动，以培育科技公司的创新生态系统，支持美国向清洁能源的转型，同时通过在清洁能源部门创造就业机会和培训机会来推动经济增长，特别是在路易斯安那州的历史上服务不足的社区和/或农村社区。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This NSF Engines award to the Louisiana Energy Transition Engine will advance our nation’s capacity for innovation in clean energy by driving research and commercialization efforts in carbon capture, hydrogen as an alternative fuel, carbon dioxide as a feedstock, sustainable water, sustainable manufacturing for clean energy, and economic and policy research to promote pathways to decarbonization in the State of Louisiana. Clean energy technologies will surpass the current state of practice and our current capabilities because of the unique capacity of this NSF Engine to leverage Louisiana’s unique geology, its existing oil and gas production as well as downstream petrochemical operations, and its strong research and development infrastructure. This will have profound impacts on our national economy and security, and it will increase the Nation’s ability to compete on a global stage as the world races to find more sustainable energy solutions while also unlocking regional economic growth and creating opportunities for the entire state. In addition to the significant national impacts, the NSF Engine has the potential to create new jobs and training opportunities in the clean energy sector particularly for historically underserved and/or rural communities within the region of service. If successful, the innovation ecosystem driven by the NSF Engine will result in unprecedented advances ranging from carbon dioxide sequestration and carbon dioxide as a feedstock to hydrogen as an alternative fuel by creating new technologies and technology startups that solve industry needs, bringing with it new jobs, opportunities, and economic prosperity for the State of Louisiana. The NSF Engine has a region of service that spans the entire State of Louisiana. The NSF Engine includes a large ecosystem of core partners with representation from the energy industry, universities (including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, public and private four-year institutions and two-year institutions), economic and workforce development organizations, non-profits, and investment firms that are essential to the NSF Engine’s success. This diverse coalition of partners will be central to R&D, translation, and workforce development efforts. The NSF Engine will focus on six topic areas related to decarbonization and the transition to clean energy. These topic areas are: (1) carbon sequestration; (2) hydrogen as an alternative fuel; (3) use of carbon dioxide to produce biofuels or bioproducts; (4) sustainable solutions to the energy industry’s high demand for water; (5) sustainable manufacturing practices for the clean energy industry; and (6) policy development to promote decarbonization of the energy sector. The NSF Engine will assemble a cross-sector committee of core partners who will work together to prioritize research initiatives that are responsive to the energy industry’s needs in the transition to a sustainable, low carbon future. Specific research projects will be supported through seed funding competitions. The research and translation goals of the NSF Engine are to: (1) leverage regional expertise to solve energy and hydrocarbon transition-related challenges aligned with the six identified topic areas; (2) launch and sustain an energy transition technology incubator that prioritizes historically underserved communities to grow and develop early-stage technology projects; and (3) generate and attract more substantial investments, technologies, intellectual property activity, startups, and commercial activities to accelerate energy transition by developing and growing research, partnerships, workforce training, and entrepreneurial efforts in Louisiana. Collectively, these goals will enable Louisiana to become a global leader in clean energy technology innovations and accelerate regional economic growth—creating career opportunities for the entire community. The coalition of partners bring deep expertise across all core functions of the NSF Engine to ensure the NSF Engine goals are met. This expertise includes chemical and clean energy engineering; technology commercialization, entrepreneurship, and small business management; establishment of accessible career pathways for Louisiana residents; and development of sustainable partnerships across higher education, industry, community, and government. The NSF Engine has engaged state and local chambers of commerce, economic and workforce development organizations, industry, and Louisiana’s Community and Technical College System to build training and mentorship opportunities across the state. Specific activities include train-the-trainer programs to educate the next generation of STEM educators, supporting K-12 educators link energy transition topics to foundational STEM classes, and a grant program that will support new, equitable training opportunities that address new and existing workforce gaps in the clean-energy sector. Workforce development activities will prioritize rural and historically underserved communities within the region of service. The NSF Engine has brought together a strong coalition of partners and identified strong alignment with regional assets and priorities. The NSF Engine has identified critical R&D topic areas that must be advanced to drive clean-energy innovations and get closer to a net-zero carbon future. It will support R&D and translational activities to cultivate an innovation ecosystem of tech companies that support the nation’s transition to clean energy, while also driving economic growth through job creation and training opportunities in the clean energy sector, particularly for historically underserved and/or rural communities, across the State of Louisiana.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.