News

Members from diverse academic backgrounds have been named to a committee charged with assessing Stanford’s approach to supporting research through funds from fossil fuel companies.

Combining entrepreneurship with a passion for helping people.

Cargo Bikes: The Happiest Transportation Mode on Earth
How does a family of four – including a two-year-old and newborn baby – live (and get around the Bay) without owning a car?

The secret to long life for rechargeable batteries may lie in an embrace of difference. New modeling of how lithium-ion cells in a pack degrade show a way to tailor charging to each cell’s capacity so EV batteries can handle more charge cycles and stave off failure. 

ClimateWorks is a nonprofit organization that works to amplify the impact of philanthropy to accelerate climate solutions around the globe

The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability is accelerating research to address climate change.

Thanks to efforts by Energy Science & Engineering professor Inês Azevedo and others, President de Sousa of Portugal visited Stanford's campus this Monday as part of a tour to identify potential areas of collaboration for climate solutions.

Panelists in the Advancing Technology for a Sustainable Planet workshop detailed AI’s energy and regulatory challenges. 

Professor Roland Horne provides insight into geothermal energy

Meet the New Cohort of Skoll Scholars, joining the Said Business School, University of Oxford MBA Class of 2022-23

Stanford University researchers got rare insight into long-term transformation of subsurface microbial communities at SURF

Stanford researchers are working to understand battery degradation, reveal the true toll of their production and disposal, and make next-generation batteries better.

Research led by Ilenia Battiato could help scientists assess the fate of carbon dioxide and other gases and wastes stored in specific geological sites

A tiny new device allows scientists to directly observe and quantify how rocks change in the presence of acids, enabling more accurate assessments of sites for underground storage of carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and industrial waste.

New research reveals that, rather than being influenced only by environmental conditions, deep subsurface microbial communities can transform because of geological movements. The findings advance our understanding of subsurface microorganisms, which comprise up to half of all living material on the planet.

“This...makes sense only as a death knell for coal. Otherwise, it’s baffling. We’re approaching 8 billion tons of carbon dioxide pollution a year from gas use alone, and that can’t continue,” says Rob Jackson in an article that also cites research on methane leaks led by Adam Brandt. 

Researchers led by Adam Brandt estimated that the amount of methane being lost to the atmosphere from the Permian basin in New Mexico was equivalent to just over 9% of the methane being produced. Because a very small number of sites with large leaks dominate the picture, you can only see what is really going on if, as his team did, you have very thorough coverage.

A new mathematical model has brought together the physics and chemistry of highly promising lithium-metal batteries, providing researchers with plausible, fresh solutions to a problem known to cause degradation and failure.

The award recognizes individuals who go above and beyond their role to create a more inclusive, just, and welcoming community at the Stanford School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences.

More than any class before, the 2022 graduates of the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences are prepared to navigate uncertainties in the pursuit of a life that brings happiness and meaning, according to Dean Stephan Graham.

The new and expanding departments in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability share the goals of creating viable, scalable solutions for global sustainability while incorporating fundamental research about the planet. 

Gerritsen was one of 15 faculty members honored at the 2022 Faculty Women's Forum for her exceptional work and role in supporting women at Stanford.

Energy expert Inês Azevedo, a lead author of the energy chapter in the United Nations’ new report on climate mitigation, discusses the assessment and changes necessary to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius.

More than half of the premature deaths associated with electricity use in most of California and the Northwest occur in other western states that supply electricity to the West Coast.

Town Hall Meeting: Ban on New Drilling and Ceasing Oil Production in the City of Los Angeles: How it Affects Energy Supply, Local Economy, Health and Safety (A Dramatization)

A new certificate program provides a framework for Stanford Earth graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to learn new skills, gain practical experience, and produce portfolio pieces that will broaden their professional preparedness. The program will be carried into the new school focused on climate and sustainability.

Involving people who will directly benefit from technology research is critical to sustainable development, as researchers have experienced by working with chili farmers in India for more than four years.

Climate change mitigation is about reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The worldwide goal is to reach net zero, which means balancing the amount of GHG emissions produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere.

A new study of the Permian Basin in New Mexico shows it leaked the greenhouse gas at double the expected rate from 2018 through 2020.

Methane leaks from a major U.S. oil-and-gas producing region are far higher than prior estimates, new research shows.

Using airborne sensors that see methane in the air, Stanford researchers say leaks are more worrisome than thought, but hope lies in the sensing technology itself.

An analysis found lead of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from oil and gas drilling in the permian basin were many times higher than government estimates.

Faculty leading efforts to design curricula within the new school discuss new courses debuting next fall and preview what might be different in new degree programs.

Stanford Earth faculty member Louis Durlofsky and School of Engineering faculty members Thomas Kenny, Marc Levoy and Stephen Monismith, have been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, which is one of the highest professional distinctions accorded engineers.

Kyle Pietrzyk, a graduate student at Stanford University who worked at LLNL as a 2020 High-Energy-Density Physics summer intern, is the lead author of work looking at why particles cluster in turbulent flows.

Stanford Geothermal team has won the first place in the 2021 Energy Geohackathon

The 2021 Stanford Earth Photo Contest yielded evidence that despite another difficult year, faculty, students and staff kept their academics, research and engagement with nature going. Two undergraduates and three graduate students won the top prizes.

Folasade Ayoola is co-founder of ElectricFish Energy, which has developed and patented a battery storage-integrated EV charging system that can plug into existing, ubiquitous electrical infrastructure.

Forbes’ 2022 “30 Under 30” feature includes two current Stanford University students and eight recent alumni developing energy- and sustainability-related technologies. The 2022 list has the most Stanford students and alumni in cleantech since Forbes started its “30 Under 30” feature 10 years ago.

The White House has launched a new energy division of its Office of Science and Technology Policy and appointed Sally Benson, a well-known energy expert at Stanford University, to a high-level position to coordinate climate change policy.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has launched a new Energy Division and hired Sally Benson as Deputy Director for Energy and Chief Strategist for the Energy Transition.

Methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, can be captured and transformed into protein-rich feed for farmed fish – an increasingly important food sector. A new analysis shows how to make the approach more cost-effective than current fish feeds.

Evan Sherwin, a postdoctoral researcher in energy resources engineering, discusses sustainable aviation fuels designed to lower the emissions generated by air travel.

Nations around the world are joining a pledge to curb emissions of methane, and the Biden administration is proposing stricter regulation of the potent greenhouse gas. Explore Stanford research about methane emissions and promising solutions.

Jef Caers, Sally Benson and Tapan Mukerji have been awarded a 2021 Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) seed grant to prototype an intelligent agent for CO2 sequestration in saline aquifers.

A mathematical model of the body’s interacting physiological and biochemical processes shows that it may be more effective to replace red blood cell transfusion with transfusion of other fluids that are far less in demand.

A bill under debate in Congress would pave the way to verifying and paying for farms’ carbon savings. Stanford scientists explore this and other opportunities for growing climate change solutions on U.S. farms.

Stanford experts discuss strengths and weaknesses of major pledges at the UN climate summit that target methane emissions and deforestation.

Winners of the international contests for the three academic divisions were announced during ATCE 2021.

Fighting fire after fire in ever-growing wildfire seasons, CAL FIRE is in search of innovative prevention and response strategies. Stanford students address this need by successfully tackling some of the biggest problems in wildfire management with fresh perspectives.

The John Franklin Carll Award from the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) recognizes contributions of technical application and professionalism in petroleum development and recovery.

Several studies have found that the EPA underestimates the amount of methane leaking from U.S. oil and gas operations by as much as half. A new Stanford-led study shows how better data can lead to more accurate estimates and points to some of the causes of the EPA’s undercount.

The new school will include transitional academic divisions, university-wide cross-cutting themes organized into institutes and an accelerator focused on solutions. Stanford is now launching the search for a dean to lead the new school.

An expert in energy resources engineering says “battery biopsies” are key to a tomorrow filled with electric vehicles.

Graduates of the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences have the skills and knowledge to persevere in the face of new challenges and uncertainty, according to Dean Stephan Graham.

Recipients of the school’s annual Excellence in Teaching Awards are selected based on nominations from students, faculty, and alumni.

Three Stanford University entities will fund two new research projects on using artificial intelligence and machine learning to make energy systems more sustainable, affordable, resilient and fair to all socioeconomic groups.

Tapas Peshin (PhD Student in Energy Resources Engineering) will be working with California Air Resources Board (CARB) this summer as part of the Shultz Energy Fellowship.  He will be working on Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) refueling including hydrogen and electric vehicle fueling station utilization for priority populations, such as disadvantaged and low-income communities that are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and air pollution.

Congratulations to Tapas!

Madalsa Singh will be working with California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) this summer. Specifically, she will be working in the Office of Commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves and helping with evaluating the new net metering policy for California, which probably will be the most hotly contested energy debate in the state. 

Congratulations Madalsa!

Jon Huster (Masters Student in Stanford Energy Resources Engineering) was selected for a summer internship with the Federal Energy Resource Commission (FERC) as an "Energy Industry Analyst". He will primarily be using data analysis tools to ensure electricity producers are following regulations. Click here for more info on the FERC Summer Intern Program. 

Congratulations, Jon!

Kiran Chawla was awarded a Stanford Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship (SIGF), one of the greatest honors that Stanford gives to a doctoral student pursuing interdisciplinary research.

To foster the market for new and tangible carbon removal technologies, Climate Vault convened a Technology Experts Chamber to assess, evaluate and measure impact. The chamber is comprised of the industry’s top minds in CO2 removal, energy and policy. 

They were the old boys' clubs of New Zealand engineering. Women run them now. ERE Alum Rosalind Archer appointed president of Engineering New Zealand

Energy resources engineering student Dylan Crain received first place in the MS category and electrical engineering student Tim Anderson received first place in the PhD category. 

The true measure of President Biden's climate ambition may be the clean electricity standard he tucked into his massive $2.2 trillion infrastructure spending plan.

Professor Brandt is one of the pioneers in measurement of carbon intensity for the oil and gas industry.

Sally Benson suggested, “making it cheaper for businesses to invest in carbon capture and storage is the best way to immediately reduce fossil fuel emissions.”

Stanford is celebrating Earth Day with a week of virtual events and is looking ahead to additional ways the campus can reach ambitious net-zero emissions goals, including tackling emissions from campus food, goods, travel and investments.

In a podcast series hosted by The Stanford Daily, Dean Stephan Graham discussed the new climate and sustainability school and other topics affecting the Stanford community. 

A collection of research and insights from Stanford experts who are revealing the stakes of emission cuts, enabling better carbon accounting, predicting the consequences of future emission pathways and mapping out viable solutions.

NGI, founded by Stanford’s School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences and its Precourt Institute for Energy, is an industrial affiliate program supported by its members and individual donors.

Stanford University experts are cautiously optimistic that the Biden administration can change the U.S. trajectory on nuclear waste, and they offer their thoughts on how it can be done.

The Faculty Senate heard an update on the structure of the new school for climate and sustainability and learned that it will include a Sustainability Accelerator that will translate policy and technology solutions.

After participating in a Deliberative Polling event, faculty showed majority support for proposals relating to the organization and structure of the new school focused on climate and sustainability – but not without debate.

KoBold is working alongside Stanford’s Center for Earth Resource Forecasting to develop an AI agent that can make recommendations for where to find certain minerals used in the creation of batteries.

A collaboration of top research institutions has received NSF support for a program aimed at strengthening retention of diverse scholars during and beyond the postdoc, thereby enhancing faculty diversity.

To decarbonize their operations, companies will need to work with others within and beyond the private sector to adopt an integrated, whole-systems approach to sustainability.

"This is the symptom of a larger issue, which is deregulation," said Stanford professor Sally Benson in an interview about Texas' power crisis. "In a world where the climate is changing quickly – and how, when and where people use energy is changing quickly – it's not clear that the market can keep up."

Following deliberations by a Blueprint Advisory Committee in the fall, leaders are seeking faculty input on proposals for the new school’s structure, composition and areas of focus.

U.S. air pollution emissions dropped dramatically from 2008 to 2014, driven in part by the closure of coal-fired power plants. Now researchers, like Inês M.L. Azevedo, an associate professor in Stanford University’s Department of Energy Resources Engineering, have documented that health damages from air pollution dropped just as dramatically during that time.

Looking back at what has been a turbulent year, the Stanford community has found new ways to come together to learn and to work, while also advancing research to address problems posed by the pandemic.  

From Dec. 7-17, Stanford faculty, students and scholars presented their work at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), along with fellow scientists and researchers from various disciplines in the Earth and planetary sciences.

The annual award from the U.S. Clean Energy Education & Empowerment Initiative, or C3E, recognizes mid-career women who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and accomplishments in clean energy.

The winners of the 2020 U.S. C3E Awards, who will be honored at the Ninth Annual U.S. C3E Women in Clean Energy Symposium, represent a diverse range of women leading in clean energy.

Stanford Earth’s 2020 photo contest drew 156 photographs from faculty, students, and staff. The images captured experiences coping with COVID-19 and more, as well as close encounters with nature from activities before the pandemic.

After more than two years of joint research, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Total, and Stanford University are releasing an open-source, high-performance simulator for large-scale geological carbon dioxide (CO2) storage.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from food systems will be vital to reaching climate goals – and it will require coordinated action across sectors and between national governments, according to new research.

Rising emissions from food production will make it extremely difficult to limit global warming to the targets set in the Paris climate agreement, even if emissions from fossil-fuel burning were halted immediately, according to a study co-authored by Inês Azevedo.

The world cannot wait to have the perfect tools or know what climate change solutions will work, but instead must start now, experiment and iterate.

Research co-authored by Inês Azevedo finds reducing food system-related emissions is critical to preventing global temperatures from rising 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The Precourt Institute for Energy’s Stanford StorageX Initiative is expanding its work beyond batteries to other means for storing electricity, such as in heat, carbon-neutral fuels and physical mechanisms.

Researchers can predict the true condition of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery in real-time, gleaning new insights into performance parameters, and paving the way for smarter design.

A new study outlines how capturing and permanently storing carbon dioxide from power plants, oil refineries and other facilities could help California meet its climate goals.

Prof. Sally Benson's team and the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI) release a new CCS report

"Early efforts to address climate change focused on decarbonizing the electricity and transport sectors," said Stanford's Sally Benson, co-leader of a plan for carbon capture in California.

A school focused on climate and sustainability, announced last May, is beginning to take shape. Leaders anticipate blueprints for the school’s academic structure by winter quarter.

The doubling of SESI’s chilled water capacity will help minimize the risks of energy curtailments at Stanford campus buildings and hospitals during heat waves.

Steps toward greenhouse gad emissions reductions in the 100 largest cities across the United States

Stanford University’s Precourt Institute for Energy, StorageX Initiative and Bits & Watts Initiative selected 17 new energy research projects on campus to fund.

Removing carbon dioxide from the Earth’s atmosphere will be a crucial part of addressing climate change, but we must holistically assess technology and address tradeoffs, according to a recent panel hosted by Stanford University’s Global Energy Dialogues series.

Dean Stephan Graham co-authored an op-ed with the deans of the School of Humanities and Sciences and the School of Engineering urging readers to "vote for the party and candidate of your choice, but by all means vote."

The Summer Undergraduate Research in Geoscience and Engineering (SURGE) program celebrates 10 years of bringing students from diverse backgrounds to Stanford for a summer of Earth science research and graduate school preparation.

A new model offers a way to predict the condition of a battery’s internal systems in real-time with far more accuracy than existing tools. In electric cars, the technology could improve driving range estimates and prolong battery life.

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) recently honoredDr. Franklin M. Orr Jr. with SPE Honorary Membership at SPE’s Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held 30 September – 2 October in Calgary, AB, Canada. Orr is Professor-Petroleum Engineering at Stanford University. 

The SPE International Awards honor members whose outstanding contributions to SPE and the petroleum industry merit special distinction. Recipients of the 2020 International Awards will be recognized during the Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition.

Researchers hypothesize outcomes of the pandemic’s unprecedented socioeconomic disruption, and outline research priorities for advancing our understanding of humans’ impact on the environment.

Stanford Earth’s summer internships have been redesigned from in-person, one-on-one mentorships to an online lecture series due to COVID-19 restrictions. An unexpected side effect is that more local high school students are being exposed to research opportunities in the environmental sciences than ever before.

2020–2021 Distinguished Lecturers: With speakers from various disciplines and professions, the program focuses on industry trends, challenges, and technology applications and advances.

New research finds that air pollution from sources in the U.S. leads to 100,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. While about half of all air pollution-related deaths from fine particulate matter result from burning fossil fuels, the remaining are largely from animal agriculture, dust from construction and roads, and burning wood for heating and cooking.

The assistant professor of energy resources engineering has been named a 2020-22 Distinguished Lecturer through the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society (VTS) and editor in chief of the newly titled SAE International Journal of Electrified Vehicles.

Lynn Orr has been honored with a prestigious University of Minnesota Outstanding Achievement Award for his accomplishments.

Faculty at Stanford's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences recommend these 24 books for your summer reading.

Graduates of the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences have the knowledge and skills to create an environmentally just and sustainable world for everyone, according to Dean Stephan Graham.

Global thought leaders will examine the future of energy in the new Stanford Global Energy Dialogues series. Topics will include energy’s role in the economic recovery from COVID-19, decarbonization and energy access for all.

The Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) has honored new research on retrieving the subsurface speed of sound, studying waveguide properties of shale gas reservoirs, and using machine learning to characterize rock properties in the subsurface from seismic images.

Geothermal energy is difficult to understand because it is located underground. How can geospatial mapping increase our understanding of this important renewable energy resource? How can GIS improve how we visualize and communicate it? Create a map (digital interactive or static) showing how GIS could portray or enhance the communication of geothermal technology.

Prof. Inês M.L. Azevedo and her team calculate carbon intensity. The carbon intensity of the U.S. power sector reached a new low in 2019, more than a third below its 2005 level, according to a new analysis from Carnegie-Mellon University. The drop tracks an accelerating collapse in the burning of coal.

GTC Digital was held in March 2020. The event included several half-hour interviews with leaders across AI and accelerated computing.

Stuart Macmillan contributed to technologies at Sun Microsystems and was a chief scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. At Stanford, he co-taught a year-round course on clean energy entrepreneurship.

In North America, water companies may lose up to 50% of water before it ever reaches customers. Across the United States, underground labyrinths of leaky pipes lose more than a trillion gallons of water a year -- and the problem is mirrored around the world.

Everyone loses when not all good ideas are heard – whether it’s missed perspectives, overlooked solutions or unanswered questions. That’s why more than a dozen programs at Stanford are supporting women in STEM fields.

Stanford researchers propose a new way to locate water leaks within the tangle of aging pipes found beneath many cities. The improvement could save time, money and billions of gallons of water.

ERE Special Seminar: Conversion of a coal fired power plant to a cleaner natural gas fueled plant - a good thing? (a dramatization)

Researchers ask microorganisms for directions through the subterranean networks they colonize.

SCCS Managing Director, Sarah Saltzer, serves as Moderator for CCST Expert Briefing in February 2020. CCST Expert Briefings are presentations by panels of relevant experts on a range of science or technology topics. 

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, Princeton University, and Stanford University, discuss their findings and say impacts across county and state lines clearly indicate the need for federal management.

U.S. farms cost the economy more in health and environmental damage than they contribute to the economy, according to a recent study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences (PNAS).

Ten faculty members have been named or reappointed Bass University Fellows for 2019-20 in recognition of their exceptional contributions to undergraduate education.

ERE Prof. Margot Gerritsen elected to SIAM Board of Trustees for a 3-year term.

Stanford researchers have sequenced microbial communities in samples of reservoir fluids to identify where water traveled through underground networks and pathways.

Stanford Earth's 2019 photo contest drew 226 photographs from around the world from faculty, students, and staff. Photos captured the natural world, students at work in the field, and research in the lab.

Stanford faculty, students and scholars will join researchers from the Earth and planetary sciences and engage in interdisciplinary collaborations and discussions about the world’s most pressing challenges Dec. 9-13 in San Francisco.

Stanford scientists have developed a precise way to measure U.S. power plant emissions 24/7. The new tool will enable grid operators and big electricity consumers to reduce their carbon footprint in real time.

“One of the ways to sort of insulate yourself better from public safety power shut-offs is to have some local storage so that you can segregate your electrical grid a little bit so that it’s more of a microgrid,” says Tony Kovscek.

Inês Azevedo contributed to a new report on regulating emissions and fuel consumption of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles – a subset that contributes 22 percent of transportation energy use in the U.S.

Many Americans are ambivalent about natural gas, which produces less carbon dioxide than oil or coal but results in emission of methane, a far more potent greenhouse gas in the short term. Stanford experts weigh in on the subtleties of the issue.

By only measuring the annual emissions of power plants, policymakers may be underestimating the damage they are causing to the environment. Inês Azevedo's work on the true emissions of power plants reveals the potential for false estimates.

The Stanford Natural Gas Initiative hosts the first big data workshop for students and industry leaders on data science techniques for better understanding and managing subsurface resources.

Scientists have estimated the emissions intensity of carbon dioxide and other air pollutants from a major electricity distributor and highlighted key consequences – essential information for policymakers shaping decisions to reduce electricity system emissions.

Women face many roadblocks to careers in data science and other STEM disciplines. One Stanford professor is out to change perceptions and realities for women in these fields.

An environmentalist group is starting a year-long project to map methane emissions in the Permian Basin as oil and gas production booms and concerns grow for emissions damaging the environment and wasting potential revenue. Eric Kort at the University of Michigan, Mary Kang at McGill University, and Adam Brandt at Stanford University will serve as scientific advisers for the project.

Stanford Earth's Timothy Anderson named one of sixteen Stanford graduate students honored with Siebel Scholar awards, presented by the Siebel Foundation of Redwood City.

“She has been a catalytic leader,” Sally Benson says of Greta Thunberg.

“It’s really astounding how carbon dioxide emissions have been cut,” says Anthony Kovscek, while Sally Benson notes how California pioneered energy efficiency after the 1970s energy crisis.

Sally Benson and Adam Brandt propose 'macro-energy systems,' a new academic discipline of the science of the energy transition, in a recent paper.

Damages from air pollution have fallen dramatically in the U.S. in recent years, shows new research. But how different sectors of the economy have contributed to that decline is highly uneven.

Finding natural gas leaks more quickly and at lower cost could reduce methane emissions. Ten promising technologies mounted on drones, trucks and airplanes were tested last year. The results are in.

The ERE professor is collaborating with the University of Montpellier to study how newly developed subsurface temperature experiments can improve our ability to identify major fractures and estimate their properties. 

Benson received the International Health, Safety, and Environment Award and Adam Brandt received the Regional Health, Safety and Environment Award and the Regional Sustainability and Stewardship in the Oil and Gas Industry Award from SPE.

A recent study analyzes federal and state policies on electric cars and reveals the peculiar relationship between the policies that leads to counterintuitive effects.

“To guarantee 100 percent emissions reductions from renewable energy, power consumption needs to be matched with renewable generation on an hourly basis,” Sally Benson says.

Research by Adam Brandt that found the carbon intensity of oil production per barrel or equivalent varied widely by source countries is cited in an article about the future of oil and gas production.

Faculty at Stanford's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences recommend these 22 books for your summer reading.

Stanford Earth graduates are uniquely prepared to deliver solutions for humanity’s critical challenges, according to Dean Stephan Graham.

Natural gas leaks claim lives, damage the climate and waste money. Research teams at Stanford are working on better ways to find and fix gas leaks quickly and inexpensively.

A recent paper from Stanford's Sally Benson explores the difference in yearly averages and fluctuations in the power mix from hour to hour — and what it means for climate change.

Most companies haven’t fully explored the real emissions impact of their shift to renewables, says Stanford Earth professor Sally Benson.

Facebook has committed to reaching 100 percent renewables by 2020, and now it's investing in a solar project. But research from Sally Benson notes that doesn't necessarily equate to clean energy around the clock.

As power grids move away from fossil fuels, companies seeking to cut out carbon emissions will have to go beyond commitments to renewable energy – and data could help consumers gauge the most economical ways to meet their targets.

Sarah Saltzer brings experience in geology research and teaching, petroleum engineering, corporate relationship management and more to the Stanford Center for Carbon Storage.

Research co-authored by Stanford Earth's Adam Brandt suggests that more than half the volume of all methane emissions from natural gas come from just the largest 5 percent of leaks.

With a few changes to its existing energy operations, Stanford could further reduce its carbon footprint and costs in a model that other large campuses, towns and even cities can benefit from, a new study finds.

Stanford Earth's Sally Benson says the biggest opportunity for carbon capture and storage will be dealing with hard to eliminate emissions.

Ahinoam Pollack and Ayaka Abe created a project for the 2019 Geothermal Student Competition they hope "will help people better understand geothermal energy."

Energy Resources Engineering students Khaled Aounallah, Kofi Owusu Agyeman, Grecia Ramirez Ovalle, Haoyu Tang and Larry Jin received prizes at this year's event.

Of the 65 million tons of carbon dioxide that is pumped underground in the United States every year, about 60 million tons is for enhanced oil recovery, says Stanford Earth's Sally Benson.

A panel of energy experts including former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz discuss investments and innovations that could help California get on track to meet its 2030 and 2050 climate goals.

Making it cheaper for businesses to invest in carbon capture and storage is the best way to immediately reduce fossil fuel emissions, writes Stanford Earth professor and Precourt Institute co-director Sally Benson.

The sweeping plan to overhaul transportation, energy and other sectors failed a recent U.S. Senate vote, but remains a political lightning rod. Stanford experts discuss the science behind the politics.

Storing energy produced by wind or solar for later use has a challenge competing with existing natural gas-fired generation units. But batteries designed for the job could ease the way.

"We just had to kind of bite the bullet and say, 'OK, if you're making cement or steel, you are capturing and sequestering that CO2,'" says Stanford Earth professor and Precourt Institute for Energy director Sally Benson.

Stanford Earth researchers discussed the global shift the carbon dioxide emissions trajectory, the Paris Agreement and future efforts to thwart emissions.

Hawaii faces harder problems than California in trying to meet its renewable energy target, says Stanford Earth's Sally Benson, because each island has its own power grid and can't import electricity from other parts of the country.

Stanford Earth professors Sally Benson and Rob Jackson explain why the transportation sector is a heavier lift than the power sector when it comes to curbing planet-warming emissions.

Reporting on the role of climate change in Venezuela's ongoing crisis mentions research out of Stanford Earth showing that the country produces some of the world's most carbon-intensive crude oil.

“All of negative emission is hard – even afforestation or reforestation,” says Stanford Earth's Sally Benson. “It’s not about saying, ‘I want to plant a tree.’ It’s about saying, ‘We want to plant a billion trees.’ ” 

SAE International, a global association for engineering professionals, honored Onori for preparing the next generation of engineers to meet the real-world challenges of their industry.

Energy Resources Engineering PhD candidate Usua Amanam discusses the experiences that led him to pursue research with professor Tony Kovscek.

Robert Kabera founded alternative credit rating agency Credimarks with the objective of helping to extend credit into traditionally underserved markets  and has helped over 50 energy companies in 9 countries provide cleantech to 6,000 people living off the electricity grid.

Stanford Earth's 2018 photo contest drew nearly 200 photographs from around the world from faculty, students, and staff. Photos captured the natural world, students at work in the field, and research in the lab.