NSF Engines: Louisiana Energy Transition Engine

这项NSF发动机奖授予路易斯安那能源转型发动机，将通过推动碳捕获、氢作为替代燃料、二氧化碳作为原料、可持续水、清洁能源的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，提高我们国家在清洁能源方面的创新能力。清洁能源技术将超越目前的实践状态和我们目前的能力，因为这个NSF发动机的独特能力可以利用路易斯安那州独特的地质，现有的石油和天然气生产以及下游石化业务，以及其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，并将增加国家在全球舞台上的竞争能力，因为世界竞相寻找更可持续的能源解决方案，同时也释放区域经济增长并为整个国家创造机会。除了对国家产生重大影响外，NSF引擎还具有在清洁能源领域创造新的就业机会和培训机会的潜力，特别是在服务区域内历史上服务不足和/或农村社区。如果成功，由NSF引擎驱动的创新生态系统将带来前所未有的进步，从二氧化碳封存和作为原料的二氧化碳到作为替代燃料的氢，通过创造新技术和技术初创公司来解决行业需求，为路易斯安那州带来新的就业机会和经济繁荣。NSF引擎的服务区域横跨整个路易斯安那州。NSF引擎包括一个庞大的核心合作伙伴生态系统，代表来自能源行业，大学（包括历史上的黑人学院和大学，公立和私立四年制机构和两年制机构），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。这种多样化的合作伙伴联盟将是研发、翻译和劳动力发展工作的核心。NSF引擎将重点关注与脱碳和向清洁能源过渡相关的六个主题领域。这些主题领域是：(1)碳固存；(2)氢作为替代燃料；（三）利用二氧化碳生产生物燃料或者生物制品；(4)能源行业高用水需求的可持续解决方案；(5)清洁能源行业的可持续生产实践；(6)制定促进能源部门脱碳的政策。NSF引擎将组建一个由核心合作伙伴组成的跨部门委员会，他们将共同努力，优先考虑响应能源行业向可持续、低碳未来过渡需求的研究计划。具体的研究项目将通过种子基金竞赛获得支持。NSF引擎的研究和翻译目标是：(1)利用区域专业知识解决与六个确定的主题领域相一致的能源和碳氢化合物过渡相关的挑战；(2)启动并维持一个能源转型技术孵化器，优先考虑历史上服务不足的社区发展和开发早期技术项目；(3)产生和吸引更多的实质性投资、技术、知识产权活动、初创企业和商业活动，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来加速能源转型。总的来说，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，并加速区域经济增长，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引擎的目标得以实现。专业知识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；在高等教育、工业、社区和政府之间发展可持续的伙伴关系。NSF引擎已经与州和地方商会、经济和劳动力发展组织、工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师计划，以教育下一代STEM教育工作者，支持K-12教育工作者将能源转型主题与基础STEM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农村和历史上服务不足的社区。国家科学基金引擎汇集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烈一致性。NSF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，以培育支持国家向清洁能源过渡的科技公司的创新生态系统，同时还通过在清洁能源领域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历史上服务不足的和/或农村社区。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.