Spanning the Energy Landscape

The State of Texas Advanced Resource Recovery (STARR) program works with energy operators in the state of Texas to increase the production and profitability of the state’s earth resources. To date the program has returned over $118 million to the state on an investment of less than $10 million. A current research focus is on emerging energy opportunities on Permanent University Funds lands, which support higher education in Texas.

Experts: Lorena Moscardelli, William Ambrose, Peter Flaig

Jackson School scientists are conducting research that can help find, extract and refine the critical minerals needed to power electric vehicles, cellphones, solar panels, wind turbines and other modern technology vital for the energy transition. Researchers are studying the feasibility of extracting these minerals from waste products, such as coal ash and produced water, developing new mining methods that help break up source rock and store carbon at the same time, and making advances in “conceptual exploration targeting,” a way to find mineral deposits based on the movements of chemical elements through a region over space and time.

Experts: Marek Locmelis, Brent Elliot, Esti Ukar

Founded in 1981, the Energy and Earth Resources master’s program prepares students for business, finance, planning and management careers in the energy sector. While based in the Jackson School, students learn from faculty members from across UT Austin, including the Cockrell School of Engineering, LBJ School of Public Affairs, College of Liberal Arts and School of Law. You can find EER alumni in a range of energy jobs, including oil and gas, electric vehicles, and battery storage.

Program Director: Fred Beach

Generations of oil and gas professionals got their start at the Jackson School. The school continues its legacy of hydrocarbon education and research today, with comprehensive studies of the Permian Basin and other major oil and gas plays. The school is a leader in research on methane hydrate, a frozen form of natural gas and potential future fuel. Together, the school’s research consortia cover all major aspects of subsurface reservoirs, including deposition, porosity and pressure.

Experts: Mark Shuster, Peter Flemings

For more than 20 years, the Gulf Coast Carbon Center has been advancing science of subsurface carbon storage with an emphasis on understanding carbon storage opportunities in the Gulf of Mexico. It was recently selected to lead a U.S. Department of Energy effort to jump-start the carbon capture economy in the region. Researchers at the center lead surveys, conduct small and large-scale experiments, and advise on carbon storage policy at the state, national and global scales, including United Nations COP conferences on combating climate change.

Experts: Susan Hovorka, Tip Meckel, Katherine Romanak, Seyyed Hosseini, Alex Bump

The “geothermal anywhere” research paradigm seeks to expand geothermal energy to a host of new places by using technology that can capture heat at shallower depths than conventional methods. The HotRock Geothermal Research Consortium is working with industry to advance the technology needed to capture this heat and to find geothermal hots spots. The consortium is currently studying the feasibility of closed-loop geothermal energy systems on military bases, and has found a new significant source of geothermal energy in Presidio County.

Experts: Ken Wisian, Shuvajit Bhattacharya

Jackson School scientists at the Center for Injection and Seismicity Research (CISR) are studying the impacts of large-scale injection of water produced by the oil and gas industry on the subsurface and surface environment and offering potential solutions for mitigating related earthquake hazards. Scientists are also tracking and sharing data on seismicity in Texas with the TexNET seismic network, which monitors seismic activity across the state with a network of more than 200 stations.

Experts: Katie Smye, Alexandros Savvaidis, Peter Hennings

Core samples and cuttings provide unparalleled insight into geologic environments and energy production potential of different regions. Two research centers at the Jackson School maintain a world-class collection of contemporary and historical geologic samples from wells drilled throughout Texas, the U.S., and the world: The Austin Core Research Center and the Houston Core Research Center. The Austin center is the main core repository for core and rock material donated to UT Austin. It holds more than 700,000 boxes of core and cuttings – including cuttings that led to the Eagle Ford shale boom. The cuttings were brought to the surface in 1952 but were not closely examined until 2008, when geologist Gregg Robertson tracked them down to ground-truth drilling plans.

Austin Core Research Center facility manger: Nathan Ivicic

From sourcing, to storage, to transport, developing a hydrogen economy at scale is a multifaceted issue. Researchers at the GeoH2 Industrial Affiliates Program are studying it all to advance a new hydrogen energy sector. Researchers are also studying naturally occurring sources of hydrogen, in-situ hydrogen generation in oil reservoirs, and how “geologic hydrogen” could be generated from ultramafic rocks and specialized catalysts — a method that produces no carbon emissions.

Experts: Mark Shuster, Lorena Moscardelli, Toti Larson

Where energy comes from and how it is produced has costs, both economic and environmental. The Comparing Electricity Options (CEO) research project is studying these costs for solar, wind and gas for the global supply chain. The Bureau of Economic Geology is conducting market research on hydrocarbons, the energy transition and water access, among other energy and environmental topics. And as a member of the UT Kay Bailey Hutchison Energy Center, Jackson School faculty members are contributing to dialogue on energy issues at the intersection of business, law, policy, engineering and geosciences.

Experts: Ning Lee, Michael Young