Energy Sciences

While some of the solutions to problems of energy security and environmental impacts will be solved through development of energy-efficient communities, buildings and appliances, there will also need to be significant advances in how the energy that we do consume will be provided in sustainable ways. The Energy Sciences team is examining the full suite of energy technologies by providing the basic science, technological innovation and full-scale applications needed to bring these advances to the market.

Biomass: Plant biomass has immense potential for providing a renewable source of energy while reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Through research in Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Ecology, etc., Carolina has expertise in the genetic and ecological controls on biomass productivity, and in the development of advanced microbial and chemical processes needed for bulk cellulose digestion and conversion to fuel.

Energy Resources and Technology Assessment: The absence of reliable information can lead to flawed policies and public or private investments. Examples are inadequate life-cycle analyses and poor accounting of energy inputs. A systematic, reliable mechanism is needed to collect data related to energy provision, use and impacts, examine underpinning assumptions, and develop rational strategies at regional, state, and national levels. Carolina faculty are developing the necessary assessment tools through a unique collaboration between departments of Physics, Geological Sciences, Economics, Business, Public Policy and City and Regional Planning.

Modeling and Simulation: A wide variety of issues related to energy production and environmental impacts of energy use require the ability to accurately predict physical, chemical, biological and environmental processes. The research in modeling, computation and visualization at Carolina applies these methodologies to energy-related topics such as climate change; ocean-atmosphere interactions; advanced oil recovery; fuel cell design and performance; and carbon dioxide sequestration. This research is applicable to all aspects of Energy and the Environment, from basic scientific research to engineering applications to policy assessment. The researchers are organized through the Applied Mathematics initiative at Carolina, with expertise in multi-scale physics and computation related to fluid dynamics; materials science; marine sciences; geophysics; advanced materials; nanoscience; and biology/ecology.

Solar Energy Conversion: Given the increasingly important challenges posed by energy supply and environmental impact, there is a pressing need to find technical solutions to the nation's and world's energy needs based on renewable energy. Solar energy utilization is central to this strategy. This is a multidisciplinary challenge and groups have been formed at Carolina to address multiple aspects of the problem under the umbrella of the UNC Solar Energy Initiative (UNC-SERI). The research includes technological breakthroughs based on less expensive organic thin film devices and molecular assemblies for solar fuel production; development of more cost-effective manufacturing processes; development of methods to fabricate solar cell panels that are as robust and as inexpensive as wallpaper or paint; and applications of artificial photosynthesis to generate high energy chemicals that will form the basis of energy provision. The research is complemented by an array of advanced methods in synthesis, characterization, polymers, oligopeptides, dynamic laser spectroscopy, electrochemistry and theory.

UNC students Zhilian Zhou (a Ph.D. student in Chemistry) and Erin Dunn (a senior in Chemistry) discuss their work on fuel cell membrane materials being conducted in the laboratory of UNC/NC State William R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Joe DeSimone.

Nuclear Energy: Energy policy worldwide has recently focused on a potential resurgence and growth of nuclear as a way to provide baseload while reducing carbon dioxide emissions. This will require advances in reactor design; in the fuel cycle - including storage and/or transmutation; in the permitting process; etc. Faculty at Carolina and in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at NCSU have been collaborating for over five years on nuclear fuel cycle issues with a principal focus on transmutation and storage, both in the U.S. and working with the Russian Institute for Atomic Reactors at Dmitrovgrad. Current and recently completed research includes the design and performance of accelerator-driven subcritical assemblies; development of a simple model for the capacity of the Yucca Mountain repository as a function of fuel enrichment, irradiation time, burn-up, and cooling period; and the design of a small, modular fusion-based transmutation system to address legacy sources.

Energy Resources: Sources of energy other than fossil fuels exist in the environment, and represent immense pools of energy if they can be harnessed. For example, geothermal energy is a clean, virtually inexhaustible and stable resource. The faculty in Geological Sciences has been engaged in seismic characterization (imaging) of the subsurface geologic structure of several major geothermal reservoirs in the US and in Iceland. The results provide detailed imaging of the reservoirs' crack and fluid migration patterns, reducing exploration risks and operational costs in the exploitation of new fields. Other research at Carolina is mapping the energy potential of wind, tides, solar and biomass, thereby helping identify where the infrastructure for these energy supplies might most effectively be located.