To avoid catastrophic consequences of climate change, our current carbon-emitting energy infrastructure needs to be replaced with an energy system free from atmospheric carbon emissions. The enormous scale of this energy transition requires multiple energy sources to be developed, including carbon-free wind, solar, geothermal, and nuclear as well as fossil-fuel-based systems where the carbon dioxide from the waste stream is captured and stored securely in deep subsurface geologic formations, in a technology known as Carbon Capture and Storage, or CCS. Subsurface geologic formations are also likely to be used to provide short-term storage for energy-carrying fluids like hydrogen and natural gas, making the subsurface environment critical to the energy transition. In this talk, I will discuss practical computational approaches to analyze geological storage systems as well as economic and political issues associated with CCS. I will also briefly discuss basic climate change facts, as part of a proposed general curriculum for Environmental Literacy.
Professor Michael Celia is the Theodora Shelton Pitney Professor of Environmental Studies at Princeton University, where he is also a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE). Prof. Celia served as Director of Princeton’s Environmental Institute from 2017 to 2021, and as CEE Department Chair from 2005 to 2011. His research focuses on fluid flow in the subsurface, numerical modeling, and subsurface energy systems with a focus on geological sequestration of carbon dioxide. Professor Celia has received several teaching awards at Princeton and MIT and is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.
Clean water and clean air are vital for public health. This project focuses on developing high-efficiency and environmentally sustainable filters for removing harmful air/water pollutants. The team has developed novel architectures and functionalities for the filters to achieve high permeance, high removal efficiency, and excellent reusability.
