Energies Magazine Spring 2023 : simplebooklet.com

Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com1FEATURE Zerosix: Integrity in the Wild West of Carbon Credits PAGE 14The Houston team celebrating the public launch of ZeroSix. From L to R: Scot Fraser, Strategic Advisor; Luciana Monteiro, Head of Marketing & Communications; Humberto Sirvent, Chief Finance Ofcer; Martijn Dekker, Chief Executive Ofcer; Samantha Holroyd, Chief Commercial Ofcer; Ondrej Sestak, Head of Engineering.Letter from the Editor-in-Chief PAGE 2ENERGIES Contributors PAGE 2ENERGIES Online PAGE 3Industry Data PAGE 3 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Four Ways AI Turns Insights Into Impacts In Renewables PAGE 4 SOLUTIONSMagnetic Separation Technology Enhances Safety and Preserves the Environment at No Expense to Protability PAGE 6HYDROPOWER Hydropower in the U.S.: Why We Should Give A Dam PAGE 10ECO LIVING Living Deliberately in the City PAGE 18ENERGY TRILEMMA Recalibrating Collaboration for the Energy Trilemma PAGE 20ELECTRIC VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY Charts and Graphs PAGE 23TECHNOLOGY Technology Breakthrough Transforms Flaring Gas to Clean Hydrogen PAGE 24Energies Cartoon PAGE 26NONPROFIT Carbon-Free Cooking PAGE 28Kelvin is the leading collaborative control software company, delivering industrial intelligence, operational excellence, and reduced emissions. Founded in 2013 by a team of data scientists, developers, domain experts, and automation engineers to solve real-world problems, global industrial enterprises partner with Kelvin to help connect, create and scale control applications across their operations. The company has a global footprint with offices in five countries and headquarters in San Francisco. To learn more, visit Kelvin’s website at https://kelvin.ai. The carbon clock is ticking!Time is scarce, but net-zero accountability is not. Kelvin can speed up your time to carbon reduction, by ﬁnding, ﬁxing and preventing fugitive emissions. KELVIN.AIPave your road map to hit net zero with up to 53% lower emissions.Seamlessly identify bottlenecks and equipment failures, prevent errors, and take action to improve your operations eciently. Achieve net zero with a solution that hits your sustainability goalsIN THIS ISSUE

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com2SPRING 2023PUBLISHER Emmanuel SullivanEDITOR-IN-CHIEF Rebecca PontonMANAGING EDITOR Nick VaccaroASSISTANT EDITOR Sarah Skinner COPY EDITOR Shannon WestCREATIVE DIRECTOR Kim FischerCONTRIBUTING EDITORS Matthew Schniper Elizabeth WilderADVERTISING SALES Diana George Connie LaughlinSUBSCRIBE To subscribe to Energies Magazine, please visit our website, www.energiesmagazine.com/subscribe. MAILING ADDRESS U.S. Energy Media P.O. Box 42511 Houston, TX 77242 Phone: (800) 562-2340 e-mail: editor@usenergymedia.comCOPYRIGHT The contents of this publication are copyright 2023 by U.S. Energy Media, LLC, with all rights restricted. Any reproduction or use of content without written consent of U.S. Energy Media, LLC is strictly prohibited.All information in this publication is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy of the information cannot be guaranteed. Energies Magazine reserves the right to edit all contributed articles. Editorial content does not necessarily reect the opinions of the publisher. Any advice given in editorial content or advertisements should be considered information only. Cover photo courtesy of ZeroSix.LETTER FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEFCONTRIBUTORS — BiographiesRebecca Ponton, Editor-in-ChiefWelcome to our rst quarterly issue of 2023! Last year was the rst full year of publication for ENERGIES Magazine, the latest addition to U.S. Energy Media’s portfolio. Because of our belief that it will take all forms of energy to power the planet, ENERGIES, with its focus on renewables, joins our companion publications, Oilman and Oilwoman magazines, which continue to focus on the latest technological advances and innovations in legacy sources of energy. In this edition’s cover interview, we talk to Martijn Dekker, a well-known voice in the energy industry, who brings extensive experience from his successful 25-year career with Shell to his new company, ZeroSix, a digital solution for high-quality carbon credits, which utilizes the voluntary carbon market to incentivize oil and gas producers to leave reserves in the ground in exchange for carbon credits. “Isn’t it much better to get ahead of the problem?” Dekker asks rhetorically. He is nding many in the oil and gas industry receptive to this message and the realization that there are opportunities to build upon the existing energy system and make maximum use of what is already in place. As he points out, we are in the midst of a transition –not a revolution – but that we can accelerate it by working together for the common good. Along with this interview in which Dekker shares how ZeroSix intends to bring integrity to the carbon credit market, this issue contains articles that deal with energy on a macro level – as contributor Liz Wilder explains what needs to be done to utilize more hydropower in the U.S. – as well as a micro level, with freelance writer, Matthew Schniper, sharing how he retrotted his Colorado home to be more eco-friendly using sustainable materials.Spring is thought of as a time of renewal and, as these articles evidence, there is much to look forward to in the renewable energy space!Matthew SchniperMatthew Schniper is a freelance journalist and the Food & Drink Editor/Critic at the Colorado Springs Independent. He’s also a podcaster, recently publishing two series: State of Plate, a study of the Springs’ food scene; and Vulnerable Creatures, a true-crime and systems change story of a young man with autism accused of animal cruelty.Elizabeth WilderElizabeth Wilder is a freelance writer based in Houston, Texas. In addition to covering startups and nuclear energy in this issue, she has written about solar energy initiatives, including on Native lands. Her work has also appeared in Oilwoman Magazine.

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com4ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCEFour Ways AI Turns Insights Into Impacts In Renewables By Cita GeiggarWe’ve all read the headlines around the promises articial intelligence (AI) makes to save the day in almost every industry. AI delivers prots, cuts costs, optimizes production and aligns re-sources, to name a few. Yet these impacts only scratch the surface when looking at AI’s potential to disrupt renewable energy and solve data and operational variability challenges. Every variation of renewable power re-lies on large amounts of assets, numer-ous conditions and massive amounts of data. From solar, wind and hydro energy to tidal, geothermal and biomass energy, these variables underscore the com-plexity of renewables, making system optimization and cost reduction seem-ingly impossible. The current energy production in renewables lacks accessible information for real time, predictive insights and actions. In many cases, control changes are still manual and based on limited data. Engineers and operators also often need help in implementing their ideas for improving operations.Renewables are often a complex envi-ronment to update control strategies based on changing processes and asset conditions.Data Wrangling Made EasyIntegrating AI into the renewables sector leads to signicant transforma-tions in company operations, allowing increased efciency, reduced costs and improved environmental impact. How? Intelligent data. AI facilitates how and when technical staff acquires, understands and acts on data. AI can augment engineers with up-to-the-second data analysis at the asset level and back to the system level. With these capabilities at hand, op-erators and engineers benet from the following:1. Predictive MaintenanceOne of the signicant benets of AI in the renewable sector is predictive maintenance. Wind turbines are subject to wear and tear, which can cause break-downs, resulting in maintenance costs and reduced energy production. With AI, wind turbines are monitored in real time, and predictive maintenance can be performed before a failure occurs. With the help of sensors and AI algo-rithms, it is possible to predict when equipment will fail before it does. This enables companies to schedule mainte-nance activities in advance, saving time and money, and reducing downtime, while increasing the efciency of opera-tions and energy production.

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com5ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCEFinally, AI analyzes vast amounts of data to learn from, making predictions more accurate with each iteration.2. Smart Grid ManagementRenewable energy sources such as wind and solar power are intermittent, which makes it challenging to manage the energy grid. AI helps centralize and act on the data, with user support, to make management more effective. This, in turn, makes management more respon-sive to changing conditions in popula-tion demands for energy. 3. Supply Chain Management AI can optimize the supply chain by analyzing inventory levels, delivery times, and demand data to minimize costs and improve efciency.4. Safety and Environmental MonitoringAI monitors safety and environmental conditions in real time, alerting workers to potential hazards and reducing the risk of accidents.But Wait, There’s MoreIn renewables, AI enables engineers to take their ideas and turn them into actions. Some solutions leverage AI automation from edge to cloud to empower engineers and operators to nd new optimization solutions for operational production. They leverage digital process twins to bridge gaps by providing real time in-sights. These capabilities also empower engineers to monitor and make control changes in real time and further prevent future failures that tie underperforming assets to potential energy savings.It is also essential for renewable energy solutions to deliver quantitative results from the value proposition of using energy stemming from a natural source that is replenished at a higher rate than used. AI helps demonstrate the value by providing the current carbon impact of all renewable processes. This includes recommending new carbon mitigation opportunities in existing systems and delivering a unique solution to address environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals that: • Tie underperforming assets to poten-tial energy savings.• Connect detected and predicted asset failure modes to potential emissions.• Provide control loop optimization to mitigate risks and further reduce wasted energy.Overall, AI has the potential to revo-lutionize the energy industry, increas-ing efciency, reducing costs, and improving safety and environmental performance.Remember those headlines around the promises articial intelligence makes to save the day in almost every industry? With the right approach and solutions, AI in renewables can go well beyond the headlines and into a new beginning of unlimited energy potential. With over 18 years of experience, commit-ment to excellence, and navigating fast-paced environments, Cita Geiggar leads the company with go-to-market initiatives, brand develop-ment, partnerships and engagement to drive growth and impact with Kel-vin. Her expertise in working with global strategic partners has helped companies to successfully execute their digital transformation journey and sustainability in the market. Completing her PhD from North-central University, Geiggar holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix and a BA in Business Com-munications from the University of Washington. Geiggar enjoys spend-ing time and playing sports with her husband and three children.

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com6SOLUTIONSMagnetic Separation Technology Enhances Safety and Preserves the Environment at No Expense to Profitability By Nick VaccaroSolutions all too often enter an industry and prove to be singular in effect. Their ability needs to extend past solving one issue, leaving a looming surplus of oth-ers that can still thwart business success. Black Powder Solutions (BPS), however, services the energy industry while offer-ing innovative technology that increases protability and enhances safety, and has a vast and effective impact on the environment. While the contaminating substance inspired the company name, black powder plagues the energy industry as an abrasive ferrous and non-ferrous form of contamination found in both hydrocarbon liquid and gas systems. Its presence acts as kryptonite to equipment with rotary parts and drives maintenance costs higher than anticipated. It even signicantly decreases the life span of expensive and specialized equipment. Additionally, it can increase downtime and reduce overall production.Magnetic SeparationAccording to Roger Simon-son, president of BPS, his company has developed a solution to combat this havoc-causing contamina-tion. BPS designs and man-ufactures magnetic separa-tor systems to remove the nano sized black powder wear contamination particles. BPS’ magnetic separator systems feature inline, full-ow systems that extract fer-rous and non-ferrous particles in hydro-carbon uid and gas transmission lines. They are also employed on rening, chemical and gas plant processes, and rened product oil and gas pipelines.BPS magnetic lters are engineered to achieve 99 percent or more effectiveness in removing black pow-der contaminants in all pipeline environments, required ow rates, pressure, temperature, and viscosity. Users benet from either manual or semi-automatic and fully auto intelligent cleaning systems, with both requiring fewer consumables compared to conventional ltration methods. “Traditional lters employed in oil and gas transmission lines and processing indicate 99.99 percent efciency, keep-ing in mind this rating is realized in a laboratory multi-pass test system with contamination test products not in the actual oil and gas pipeline and process environments,” says Simonson. “This begs a question: Is the consumer getting the true value as advertised on one pass product ow? One time use lters are expensive and require frequent change outs with extensive labor requirements and disposal costs.”While black powder contaminants nega-tively impact the upstream, midstream and downstream markets, magnetic sepa-ration is a game changer. BPS employs Roger Simonson

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com7SOLUTIONSmagnetic separation to drive protability by increasing efciency and extending equipment life, but its benets surpass nancial value. The cost to operate this solution is minimal and averages a six-month ROI with 22-plus years of con-tinued service. This technology is having a serious positive impact on workplace safety and environmental impact.Enhancing Workplace SafetyWhen considering the impact made by black powder on human life, quantity plays a prominent role in analyzing the effect. Continual exposure intensies the risk potential and increases the actual im-pact made. Traditional ltration methods carry multiple instances of lter replace-ment, from weekly to monthly over a year. “Our systems lessen the frequency of touch points,” says Simonson. “This reduces the potential for workers to suc-cumb to injury and exposure to hazard-ous waste. We consider workforce safety and environmental impact paramount as well as realizing nancial benets.”Because BPS’ patented magnetic separa-tor technology simply requires cleaning and returning to service with minimal downtime, Simonson indicates minimal handling is needed to execute the task. The separator elements are wiped clean by a semi and or fully automatic clean-ing system. “The waste is removed by a vacuum pump and then stored in a con-tainment tank or container for disposal,” says Simonson.The black powder contamination samples are collected in a sample jar and sent to a laboratory for analysis. This is important to start gathering more data on black powder frequency, volume, material type and sizes. BPS offers three different clean-ing methods: manual, semi-automatic and fully automatic. No matter which BPS cleaning application the user selects, safety receives enhancements. Touchpoints see a decrease, there-fore, instituting a positive inu-ence. If the number of times the magnetic separator is handled, or if handling is managed more safely, the potential for incident or in-jury sees a welcomed decrease. Excellent Strides in Pre-serving the EnvironmentEnvironmental detriment travels far beyond the realm of spills and negligent pollution. Basic activity and its duration can leave irreversible and harmful effects on the planet. BPS understands this notion and responds with its magnetic separator technology as its use exacts a limited impact. Every action taken exerts or dispenses energy use and, in a world that has highlighted the need to reduce the carbon footprint, emis-sions control begs for attention.According to Simonson, BPS’ Magnetic Separators contribute to the call to de-crease the carbon footprint. BPS offers technology that carries a 22-plus years or more operational life. By containing increased life product durations, waste is minimized, beneting the planet. Because the product life outperforms traditional methodologies, the energy exerted and spent to change out tradi-tional lters continually is signicantly reduced through BPS technology use. This reduction reduces emissions that are a danger to our planet. “In addition to offering limited touch points, our technology benets the environment through reduced energy consumption,” says Simonson.BPS’ technology offers an opportunity to reduce methane leakage from the well head to the end user. Cleaning the black powder wear con-tamination from the gas stream reduces the opportunity for dam-age to pipeline walls, valves, seals, compressors and com-bustion engines. Reduction in consumption also surfaces in BPS’ ability to avoid use of old technology dis-posable ltration. While traditional lters are discarded when their life span ends, BPS magnetic lters can be quickly cleaned and returned to service. The waste factor sees elimi-nation along with the energy used to process and dispose of those consumables that become waste products. Even if customer appli-cations demand a com-bination of traditional lters and the BPS technology, environ-mental impact sees improvement. Be-cause BPS’ magnetic separators are installed ahead of the conventional lters, resulting in longer life of the conventional lters, thereby extending change outs, fewer touch points and environmental improvement. In simple terms, some form of positive impact is better than none. This analysis 4Black Powder Contamination Black powder is an oil and gas industry term for the abrasive, reactive contamination present in all hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon derivatives. It is a mix of various forms of iron sulde and iron oxide, along with other compounds and substances including chlorides, sodium, calcium, mill scale, sand, glycol and varying types of ‘dirt’, such as silica and other particulate. It is also known as rouge, black, brown, red, yellow dust and various other names.Black powder originates in producing formations and precipitates out throughout the hydrocarbon value chain: during transportation, processing, storage, fractionation, rening, petrochemical production and loading and ooading.• Black powder initially forms as a sulfur-based corrosion product from microbial and chemical interactions.• It continues to build as iron sulde and iron oxide through hydrocarbon pipelines and facilities.Iron oxide rust contamination built up in piping resulting from black powder build up. Black powder removed from the suction of a kerosene product pump.BPS_Brochure_v12.indd 4BPS_Brochure_v12.indd 4 2023-03-01 11:27 PM2023-03-01 11:27 PM4Black Powder Contamination Black powder is an oil and gas industry term for the abrasive, reactive contamination present in all hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon derivatives. It is a mix of various forms of iron sulde and iron oxide, along with other compounds and substances including chlorides, sodium, calcium, mill scale, sand, glycol and varying types of ‘dirt’, such as silica and other particulate. It is also known as rouge, black, brown, red, yellow dust and various other names.Black powder originates in producing formations and precipitates out throughout the hydrocarbon value chain: during transportation, processing, storage, fractionation, rening, petrochemical production and loading and ooading.• Black powder initially forms as a sulfur-based corrosion product from microbial and chemical interactions.• It continues to build as iron sulde and iron oxide through hydrocarbon pipelines and facilities.Iron oxide rust contamination built up in piping resulting from black powder build up. Black powder removed from the suction of a kerosene product pump.BPS_Brochure_v12.indd 4BPS_Brochure_v12.indd 4 2023-03-01 11:27 PM2023-03-01 11:27 PMLeft: Black powder removed from the suction of a kerosene product pump. Right: Iron oxide rust contamination built up in piping resulting from black powder build up.Continued on next page...

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com8Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com8SOLUTIONSalso knows no exceptions and applies to gas systems and hydrocarbon liquids.“The more black powder found in gas and hydrocarbon liquid pipeline sys-tems, the more energy is used to rene crude oil and separate liquids from gas,” says Simonson.Black powder operates as an irritant, which corrodes and erodes pipeline walls. Successful completion can result in disastrous effects ranging from spills impacting land and water to life and property. While making strikes in environmental improvement through traditional lter replacement, the BPS technology still offers environmental protection on more intense levels.The environment can be spared by avoiding the loss of primary contain-ment and keeping pipeline contents inside the piping by reducing wear. The BPS technology captures those particles that gather and collect over time to in-stitute environmental incidents. Avoid-ing those releases protects the planet from pollution and, while doing so, can even aid in producing a cleaner product sent down the pipeline for purchase.“The BPS technology can be placed in front of a system,” says Simonson. “The gathering lines bring the oil and gas and water to a battery to separate [them]. Removing the black powder contamination released from the for-mation will allow the battery to oper-ate more efciently and require less intervention and down time to clean the black powder contamination from the battery or knockout drum. The oil and/or gas traveling down the sales line is cleaner, reducing pipe wall ero-sion and damage to pumps and com-pressors, meters and valves, and may demand a higher price.”A common theme throughout the energy industry exists as the reduc-tion in nonproductive time drives an increase in protability. While compa-nies previously increased prices to turn greater prots, the new energy industry now increasingly directs more prots to shareholders. As a result, reducing downtime is now seen as an opportuni-ty to increase protability. BPS’ mag-netic separator technology enables this process, but its positive environmental impact is equally important.Nonproductive time represents down-time for the operation at hand, but work is taking place from the service side of the equation. This generates abundant energy use in vehicles travel-ing the road to respond to the down-time notication, running machines and equipment to rectify the issue, and increasing waste as a byproduct. Magnetic separation will reduce this potential by allowing systems to oper-ate more efciently and eliminating the need for such services. By elimi-nating the need for repairs, the planet avoids exposure.Widening the ImpactBPS’ magnetic separator technology provides a win on all fronts for custom-ers to enjoy well into the future. As the world seeks new processes and applica-tions to provide energy, the sources will only grow in possibilities. All can utilize BPS’ magnetic separator technology to give a cleaner and safer solution that will drive prots by reducing costly downtime in the form of a process that refrains from sacricing one aspect of the job to show benet to the others.Nick Vaccaro is a freelance writer and photographer. In addition to provid-ing technical writ-ing services, he is an HSE consultant in the oil and gas industry with eight years of expe-rience. Vaccaro also contributes to SHALE Oil and Gas Business Magazine, Louisiana Sportsman Magazine, and follows and pho-tographs American Kennel Club eld and herding trials. He has a BA in photojournalism from Loyola University and resides in the New Orleans area. Vaccaro can be reached at 985-966-0957 or navac-caro@outlook.com. 74 x 2” OD magnetic separator elements in a 76” pressure vessel. BPS 2” OD magnetic separator elements have a contamination holding capacity of 6.30 lb-ft.BPS_Brochure_v12.indd 7BPS_Brochure_v12.indd 7 2023-03-01 11:27 PM2023-03-01 11:27 PM

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com10HYDROPOWERHydropower in the U.S.: Why We Should Give A Dam By Elizabeth Wilder On March 2, 2023, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced a plan to invest $3.7 million to expand col-laboration on the sometimes competing goals of maintaining hydropower as a key source of renewable energy while supporting communities and protecting the environment. The project will be led by the nonprot organization American Rivers. Those of us more accustomed to reading about solar or wind-gener-ated renewable energy projects, may have questions: Why hydropower? Why social engagement? Why now? Over 90,000 dams exist in the United States. According to the Army Corps of Engineers, 98 percent of these were designed for ood control, irrigation, direct-drive power for historic manufacturing processes (such as weaving or spinning) and recre-ation. The remaining two percent were built for elec-tricity generation. These large scale facilities, such as the Hoover or Grand Coulee dam projects, gen-erate 6.3 percent of total U.S. electricity. Hydropower plants ow water through a large pipe, or penstock, that pushes against blades of a turbine, which spins a generator to produce electricity.Hydropower provides ap-proximately one-third of all renewables-generated power. Alejandro Moreno, Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efciency and Renewable Energy, says, “Incredible work is under-way across the U.S. Depart-ment of Energy to make progress toward the nation’s goals of a carbon-free electricity sector by 2035 and a net zero emissions economy by 2050.” A rendering of the Allegheny Lock and Dam #2 project to electrify a dam near Highland Park Bridge in Pittsburgh. Photo illustration by Rye Development.Alejandro Moreno

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com11HYDROPOWERThe benets of hydropower include reliability, exibility, 24/7 operating ca-pacity that is not dependent on sun or wind and, critically, storage. Pumped-storage projects generate 93 percent of all utility-scale storage by owing water from a high reservoir to a low reservoir during peak demand times. At low de-mand times, the water is pumped back up for reuse. However, hydroelectric dams need a consistent supply of water which is often captured by ooding a large amount of land for a reservoir. Given the social costs of habitat alteration, altered ow regimes, and Indigenous rights to sh and water, the De-partment of Energy seeks to study alternative hydropower deployments and ensure that all stakeholder con-cerns are addressed through the newly funded program. The DOE projects that the study will help improve out-comes for hydropower technologies and environmental mitigation efforts. The stakeholders include the DOE, industry, Tribes, and disadvantaged communities in remote areas where hydropower and river restoration proj-ects are often sited.The power of multiple stakeholders working together can be found in tiny Dillingham, Alaska. The Nushagak Electric and Telephone Cooperative (NETC) is developing a low impact hydroelectric project. Located on a remote arm of Bristol Bay, the Nush-agak River has the world’s largest run of sockeye salmon. Fishing is critical to this community’s survival, which is only reachable by boat or plane.NETC is working with the DOE to harness the power of a natural twenty-eight foot drop in elevation that occurs through a series of falls located in a strategic oxbow of the river. Stud-ies show that diverting part of the ow will generate sufcient power for Dillingham and ve nearby communi-ties without building a dam or articial upstream lake. A secondary benet of electrifying this community will be the installation of ber-optic cable for high-speed internet on the new power poles from the hydroelectric station. Permit-ting and construction of this project are expected to take eight to10 years, with enduring benets for all stakeholders.Conduit hydropower, which uses water from irrigation canals and water supply pipelines to drive electricity generating turbines, is another alternative. Accord-ing to a new study by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), conduit hydropower has the potential to power more than one million homes by add-ing 1.41 gigawatts of electricity to the U.S. power grid. Continued on next page...

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com12Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com12HYDROPOWER“You can think of con-duit hydropower as low hanging fruit, and what has been started is a mere drop in the bucket,” says Shih-Chieh Kao, water power program man-ager at ORNL. “For all its benets, the biggest barrier is a general lack of awareness of conduit hydropower’s potential.”Yet another source of hydropower comes from capturing the power of tidal water movement. In South Ko-rea, the Sihwa tidal power plant gener-ates one-way power twice a day at high tide. Using 10 water turbine generators and a system of sluice gates to capture the tide owing into a reservoir, the plant, currently the world’s largest, produces 552.7 gigawatts of electricity annually. According to the Interna-tional Hydropower Association, this is enough to support the household needs of 500,000 people. The United States is look-ing into similar marine technology. “Innovation in the marine energy side is signicant in many different ways,” Moreno states. “What excites me about working in marine energy is that it’s potentially a source of large scale renewable en-ergy generation for coastal communities, whether big cities or remote commu-nities, that don’t have any other source of power generation.” The 2021 Bipartisan In-frastructure bill is helping upgrade existing hydro-electric resources. Projects include adding pumped storage capacity and retrotting non-powered dams for hydro generation. A 2016 DOE study indicated that the United States could expand from then-current capacity of 101 gigawatts to nearly 150 gigawatts by 2050 with-out adding new dams.Rye Development has 22 run-of-the-river projects in its portfolio that use natural ow to spin turbines and generate power. “We see an oppor-tunity for hydropower that really is going to have a limited impact on the environment,” says Paul Jacob, Rye’s chief execu-tive. “That for us dictates where we go; we start out looking for dams that are there for an essential purpose. By and large, those are navigation dams or dams that are on ood control properties, and most of those projects are maintained and owned by the Army Corps of Engineers.”In Pittsburgh, for example, a newly powered dam will soon be providing 25 percent of the electricity required by the University of Pittsburgh. Other projects are underway in Kentucky and Louisiana. “This is a resource where infrastructure is already built, the dams are still being maintained, and they are not going away,” Jacob says. “So why not capture that energy and use it?”In answer to those original questions, “Hydropower has served as a reliable source of renewable energy in the United States for nearly 150 years, and it will continue to be a source of both clean energy and power system ex-ibility critical to achieving the nation’s climate goals,” says Moreno. “Through this project, we can uplift the efforts of diverse hydropower stakeholders who are focused on achieving these goals while respecting rivers’ environ-mental and cultural importance.” Elizabeth Wilder is a freelance writer based in Houston, Texas. Maria Camille Calimlim Touton was sworn in as the commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland on December 15, 2021, becoming the rst Filipino American to serve in a leadership role at the DOI. In her capacity overseeing the Bureau of Reclamation, Touton will help manage the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s $8.3 billion investments in drought and water resiliency, including funding for water efciency and recycling programs, rural water projects, WaterSMART grants and dam safety to ensure that irrigators, Tribes, and adjoining communities receive adequate assistance and support. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Dept. of the Interior (DOI).Shih-Chieh KaoPaul Jacob

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com14FEATURE“If you want to reach net zero, and you want to meet all these commitments, the most valuable barrels may be those that are left in the ground.”This was the provocative opening line of Martijn Dekker’s key-note speech late last year at an energy conference in Houston, Texas. CEO of ZeroSix, the newly launched carbon credit solution provider, Dekker looked out at the audience, comprised mainly of oil and gas operators and industry nance people, and then over at his fellow panelists.“Their jaws dropped and it was like, ‘What the hell is this guy talking about?’” Dekker recounts. Perhaps still in a state of shock, and before they could boo him off the stage, Dekker says he claried that he was not advocating for shutting down the oil and gas industry – an unlikely stance coming from a 25-year veteran of Shell. That industry credibility may have helped buy him enough time to explain the concept of his new company to the audience.According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), there were just under one million producing oil and gas wells in the United States in 2021 and Dekker says the bottom quartile of those produce less than 10 barrels of oil per day. In addi-tion, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) puts the number of wells classied as “orphaned” (those with an owner that is either unknown or insolvent), and abandoned (unpro-ductive wells with a known operator) at over three million. Many are leaking carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane, as well as various chemicals, such as arsenic, benzene and hy-drogen sulde (H2S), which have the potential to contaminate not just the air, but also aquifers, groundwater and the soil.As Dekker explained to his shell-shocked audience, while the industry is in the midst of the energy transition – which will take time – “we can clean up our act” by shutting in the least efcient, most pol-luting wells and replacing them with carbon credits. A productive panel discus-sion followed and many in the audience were receptive to the message, approaching Dekker afterwards to share that they agreed a solution needs to be found.“I think it really resonates,” he says. Since publicly launching in Novem-ber 2022, the company has talked to a large number of oil and gas producers, many of which have expressed an interest in working with ZeroSix. “They actually do want to shut in some of their wells. They now see it’s an alternative rather than selling it to the next guy and always having that threat of abandonment hanging over their head if the company they sold it to goes bankrupt. Maybe there’s a better way of dealing with it and monetizing it by getting carbon credits.” Pivotal Moment With a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from Eindhoven University of Technology and an MSC in Business and Management from University of Aberdeen, Dekker started his career with Shell in 1996 as a project engineer seconded to Integrity in the Wild West of Carbon CreditsBY REBECCA PONTON

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com15FEATUREElf on the Shearwater/Elgin Area Line (SEAL) natural gas export pipelines in the North Sea. Over the course of his career, he worked in the upstream, mid-stream, commercial and technology sec-tors, culminating with his role as Shell’s VP of Strategy and Portfolio – Projects and Technology in his last ve years with the company. In what would prove to be fortuitous tim-ing, Shell began formulating its strategy to navigate the energy transition in 2016 and Dekker was perfectly positioned to begin a personal transition of sorts.“I had the fortune to work on Shell’s strategy team in its headquarters,” he says, “and, interesting enough, my remit was to look at the technology side of things – and everything related to the energy transition had a technology angle.” As he researched and studied carbon offsets, carbon seques-tration, clean hydrogen, biofuels and the company’s whole digital strategy, it gave him insight into the mechanisms that are necessary for an organization to put in place as it navigates the transition.“As I was in the midst of looking at all these big trends, I think the one takeaway I had is, it’s an energy transition – not an energy revolution. It’s a transition, as it’s always been,” Dekker says, pointing out the progression from coal to oil and gas and now to low carbon fuels. The growing sense of excitement over the signicant opportunities he foresaw was one of the reasons he decided the time was right to strike out on his own. “There’s so much opportunity to build on the existing energy system and make maxi-mum use of what’s already there. We can start reducing emissions and start avoiding CO2 emissions, stop global warming, and accelerate the transition.”“Having the opportunity to work on Shell’s global strategy team and leading some of the strategy work was a piv-otal moment for me,” Dekker says and recalls thinking, “This is actually a really cool space.”Voluntary Carbon MarketsIn the year before the ofcial launch, Dekker put together a team, including several other industry veterans from Shell, and formed ZeroSix. The company name Continued on next page...American and European teams during a strategic planning session in the Houston headquarters. From L to R: Stephen Buskie, Head of Finance and Planning; Arno Laeven, Chief Operating Ofcer Sabi Balkanyi, Advisor; Luciana Monteiro, Head of Marketing and Communications; Samantha Holroyd, Chief Commercial Ofcer. Photos courtesy of ZeroSix“It’s an energy transition – not an energy revolution. It’s a transition, as it’s always been.”

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com16FEATUREis “quite simple,” as he explains, “Zero is zero and six is the atom number in the periodic table for carbon, so ZeroSix is transitioning to a zero carbon economy.” During his time at Shell and upon leaving, Dekker had a number of realizations: To address climate change and global warm-ing, and avoid emissions, we have to do everything we can. “I believe in letting the market do its work. It would be a great solution if there would be a global carbon price that everyone subscribed to because that would actually provide the best market mechanism,” but international agreements don’t happen quickly and time is of the essence. “We can either wait for the perfect solution or let’s actually move quicker,” Dekker says, citing the signicant impact the compliance carbon markets, like the European cap and trade and California cap and trade system, and others, have already made.Dekker emphasizes the role he believes voluntary carbon markets can play, as well, because they allow people and compa-nies to go further than what regulations require, and he believes customers typically have a desire for companies they buy from to exceed what is mandated by the govern-ment. At present, the carbon credit market is very small and the volume of high qual-ity credits is low, so it seemed only natural for Dekker and the team at ZeroSix to ask themselves, “How can we help with that?”Proactive StanceWith his extensive background in the oil and gas industry, Dekker is well aware of the staggering number of orphaned and abandoned wells, and the environmental damage they can potentially do, which led to another realization: “Isn’t it much better to get ahead of the problem?” The idea is to shut in the least producing, highest pol-luting wells before they are abandoned.Knowing exactly how much oil and gas are in the ground makes it possible to calculate the amount of CO2 a well will emit, and shutting in the well offers the solution to prevent future emissions. “This provides a market mechanism where people are incentivized to retire their wells earlier in return for carbon credits,” Dekker says.All Credits are not Created EqualAs Dekker and the team at ZeroSix con-tinued their due diligence, a major realiza-tion was that not all carbon credits are of the same quality, which then undermines the credibility of the voluntary carbon markets, something Dekker stresses are very important mechanisms to accelerate the energy transition and reduce emis-sions. This led to the question: How could ZeroSix ensure that people know where their carbon credits originate and that they are of the highest quality? A lot of the carbon credits currently in the market are based on the premise that they avoid deforestation, which, on the surface, seems like an environmentally sound prac-tice and a noble achievement; however, Dekker references an investigative report by The Guardian and Die Zeit newspapers, along with the nonprot organization, SourceMaterial, that discovered a large percentage of rainforest offset credits may actually be “phantom credits” that have little impact on carbon reductions.“I love nature based offsets because there are a lot of co-benets,” Dekker says, “but it’s just harder to quantify them.”The Four PillarsEach of these discoveries was critical in helping Dekker and the ZeroSix team cre-ate a framework around which the com-pany is built and establish the four pillars under which it operates.Martijn Dekker speaking at the 2022 Energy Council’s Northam Energy Capital Assembly in Houston, Texas.

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com17FEATUREAccuracy. Shutting in oil and gas wells was chosen, in part, as the starting proto-col because the industry is so heavily regu-lated, the data is very well underpinned, and there are clear standards and regula-tions that can be used for independent verication. “Our carbon credits will be very accurate,” Dekker says, “because you can calculate emissions.”Additionality. In checking its protocols, the team at ZeroSix consulted a professor at Stanford, who said people talk about a well as oil and gas coming out of the ground, when, in reality, it’s much simpler: It’s a hole in the ground that money comes out of. Acknowledging that producers are not going to be willing to shut in their wells as long as they are economic, Dekker recounts this story to emphasize that ZeroSix uses the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) standard to determine what is economic, something he consid-ers to be a conservative estimate, and says, “Almost by denition our credits will be additional.”Permanence. Targeting more mature wells with less production, but that are more polluting, means that once they’re shut in, they will not be redrilled in the future. While the process of shutting in a well – injecting cement into the wellbore – is more or less a permanent solution in and of itself, making it cost-prohibitive to redrill, Dekker says, “In addition, because we want to go belts, braces and suspend-ers, we also ask the owners of the well for a contractual commitment to not develop-ing those wells for the next 50 years.”Transparency. Because of what one of the co-authors of The Guardian reports refers to as “the wild west that is the carbon markets,” Dekker says, “We think it is extremely important to gain trust and give everyone access to the documentation that proves this is a valid carbon credit. We built a digital platform that basically records all the information that is required to create a carbon credit. We store it on a distributed ledger – blockchain – and then, until the end of time, people can see the evidence and have condence that this is indeed a very high quality carbon credit.”Ultimately, Dekker says, the company’s vision on the technology side is to be able to provide independent verication for any environmental claim. “In my free time – which is not that much – I try to be a grape grower for wine making, so seques-tering carbon in the soil by changing your farming techniques is something I’m per-sonally very excited about. I think it’s got a lot of potential, and I think the technology is getting very close to actually measuring how much carbon is sequestered in the soil. Once you can do that, you can calcu-late and monitor it. I think that would be another great protocol we could host on our platform.” Sending A MessageThere is a commonly held belief within the oil and gas industry that it has not done a good job of accurately conveying its story to the public, so the media has told the industry’s story for it and, par-ticularly as time has gone on, in a damn-ing – and many contend, an unfair – light. Dekker believes there is an opportunity for the clean tech industry to do better.“There’s such a tremendous space when you talk about the energy transition,” he says. “Maybe a big message here to the clean tech industry is, of course, everyone wants that focus and attention on what they’re doing, but we’re all collectively better off advocating for an inclusive approach. Let’s do everything we can to accelerate the energy transition.” Source: ZeroSix “We think it is extremely important to gain trust and give everyone access to the documentation that proves this is a valid carbon credit.”

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com18ECO LIVINGLiving Deliberately in the City By Matthew Schniper Somewhere in my subconscious, I believe I was driven by a Thoreau-like obsession to live deliberately. More in the forefront of my mind, I knew I was in-spired by Earthships when I endeavored to add onto my modest 740-square-foot home in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I’m located just outside the city center, in a quiet neighborhood composed mostly of austere, square homes built in the 1950s. A typical urban grid, well inside of strict city zoning boundaries, where no alternative building is present and even the notion of more accessory dwelling units (ADUs) caused a kerfufe in local council meetings in recent years. How was I to do something different? To skirt convention while adhering to code? But con-struct something reective of my environmental ethos, incorpo-rating reclaimed materials, pas-sive solar and an artistic aesthetic informed by natural objects?The answer: Cre-ate an attached, sunroom/greenhouse with typical framing and glazing, but all things alternatively allowable from there onward, such as both earth and stone ooring, as well as thick mud walls, hand formed around burned wood tree trunks, and light-gifting bottle bricks (cut wine bottle punts taped together to create colorful glass circles). Make it a space both for growing food (today there’s a mature g tree fat with fruit) and living. Dining at a custom-built, wormy maple wood table; gardening indoors with cacti, succulents, tropical and carniv-orous plants; resting on a lounging bed adjacent to a wood-burning stove for winter; and sweat-ing in a far-infrared sauna with a view out over the back garden where my ducks quack about. Back to the begin-ning. I rst visited Taos, New Mexico, less than a four-hour drive from the Springs, in the sum-mer of 1997 while a freshman at Colo-rado College (CC). Taos being home to architect Michael Reynolds’ now-internationally recognized Earthships, and CC being the type of hippie-dippy, liberal arts school where eld classes (like anthropology) on the block plan (inten-sive three-and-a-half week classes versus semester programming) would include roadside stops to places like Earthship Biotecture, a self-sufcient, eco-living community located on a high mesa, not far from the stunning Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, which rises 600 feet above the famed river. Gorgeous photos of the greenie com-mune can be seen on Earthship Biotec-ture, which teaches both short seminars and hosts a longer educational academy on Earthship building. It also sells construction plans for the DIY crowd. To describe an earthship is somewhat to suggest the literal interpretation of the portmanteau: Picture the mass of a beached boat buried half in the earth, with rammed-earth tire walls for thermal mass and plaster walls composed with densely packed bottles and aluminum cans. Trash, turned to treasure. A vehicle to a better future. I did not attend any studies on site, but for years after that rst visit, and subse-quent others, I remained fascinated by the designs. So, when I approached my home renovation, I wanted something like an earthship, at least visually and as functionally as possible. (For example, I wouldn’t be operating off-grid, but I could harvest the sun’s power to help heat my home).

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com19ECO LIVINGSo here’s what I did as my own project manager: I hired a sustainability-minded architect/structural engineer for my plans; utilized a basic framer and roofer to execute the bones (that is, after hand-digging giant holes and laying our own foundation); paid lots of friend help-ers in cash, beer and pizza; and made a mud buddy (founder/operator of Colo-rado Cob Company) for advisement on and co-execution of the earthen walls (just sand, straw, clay and natural nishing plasters made with everything from horse poop to rendered prickly pear juice). Over the course of 2014 and 2015, in just about all of my spare time outside of my demanding journalism day job, my mist crew and I gave structure to my dream and created a living space that’s a perpetual glamping trip in terms of its blend of modern convenience and natural wonder. My local Habitat for Humanity ReStore proved invaluable. Mismatched scraps of laminate ooring became a ceiling in an inspired case of the upside-downs (er, um, downside-ups). Remnant stone pieces – leftovers from afuent-area countertop installations – became an angular oor mosaic (of granites, marble and even labradorite) on my upper living area, under which I buried PEX tub-ing for supplemental heat when (rarely) needed. The lower gardening zone connects directly to the earth, and raised beds allow gardening at waist-height with incredible sun exposure that has even my jade tree blooming annually with pretty white ower clusters. All my windows came via the Re-Store, too, and aside from the necessary commercial lumber from big-box stores for cross-framing, we harvested our own trees off near-by land scorched in the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire. Those became central sup-port posts, and we turned one twisted juniper tree into an ornamental wall installation, branches “growing” out into the room’s head space. I left the black, charred bark, to tell a separate, longer story, one I’ll summarize here by saying that the re started when I was bed-bound in a hospital from being hit on my motorcycle. Doped up and laid out, I watched the Front Range hillside below Pikes Peak burn orange through the night over our city. Years later, when I nally obtained my legal settlement, it paid for this renovation, which I never could have afforded previously. Some-thing beautiful, out of the ashes, good from bad. Some-thing meaningful to me. Something deliberate. Several years after this greenhouse addition, I installed solar photovoltaic panels on my adja-cent garage, which I converted into a cozy cottage for short-term rental. I also began renting my second, main house bedroom on Airbnb, which allows me to share the greenhouse – accessible through my kitchen – with guests, who’re always so gracious with their admiration of it. They love the sound of a water fountain, audibly texturing the visual plant splendor, my mini jungle, my wild interior, my sunny respite, my living room. It’s not quite a real Earthship, but it’s the best I can do inside the city, and the energy savings have been signicant. Ultimately, unlike Thoreau, I didn’t go into the woods; I brought them to me instead. At least a little slice of them, fused into my traditional abode. I would argue that in today’s America, so far advanced (sprawled and populated) from that colonial New England past, if we aim to live deliberately, we must do so unconventionally. Matthew Schniper is a freelance journalist and the Food & Drink Edi-tor/Critic at the Colorado Springs Independent. He’s also a podcaster, recently publishing two series: State of Plate, a study of the Springs’ food scene; and Vulnerable Creatures, a true-crime and systems change story of a young man with autism accused of animal cruelty.

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com20ENERGY TRILEMMARecalibrating Collaboration for the Energy Trilemma By Robert NyiredyHistory’s greatest accomplishments are rarely the result of any single individual’s work. Yes, there may have been a promi-nent gure in the spotlight – Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Henry Ford and so on – but, more often than not, there’s a wider team collaborating to help turn that person’s vision into reality.Aided by technology, collaboration is everywhere today. We need only look at the response to COVID-19 to see how the world’s best experts worked around the clock to learn about the virus and crucially, how to stop it from spread-ing. In a similar vein, creating solutions to keep in contact with remote work-forces and colleagues dotted around the world became a commonplace business phenomenon.It would be an understatement to say the past few years have been anything but plain sailing, not least for the energy sector. Through our international work with companies and operators, we at Vysus Group are experiencing rst-hand the challenges the energy trilemma is posing, and it is our responsibility as a sector to collaborate widely in order to navigate the uncertainty and changes which lie ahead.The rst question, therefore, is: Should we be reconsidering what it means to “collaborate” if we are to achieve the targets set out in the Paris Agreement and at COP26, especially given current world events? And is the value of col-laboration being underestimated?The Environment, Society and the Energy TrilemmaThe “energy trilemma” acknowledges the extraordinarily ne and conicting balance between security, affordability and sustainability needs, and therefore how this impacts the consumption of energy in our daily lives, both corpo-rately and as individuals. Few would argue that this ne balance has been held under even greater tension since COP26 at the end of 2021.Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com21 ENERGY TRILEMMAThough their phase-out must remain a priority, hydrocarbons for the time being hold a vital place in the energy ecosystem. Because of volatility of supplies, exacerbated but not solely caused by the Ukraine situation, oil and gas production will underpin the transition advances and infrastructure modications that eventually take us toward net zero.Platforms such as the UN Global Compact provide a valuable framework upon which collaborative working can thrive. According to its 2021 annual survey, 67 percent of registered par-ticipants stated that acquiring knowl-edge to advance sustainability strategy fell within their top ve reasons for their involvement. The opportunity to network with other organizations was cited as being key for 37 percent of respondents.These statistics suggest that there is an almost instinctive desire for business owners to unite behind shared unifying goals. Isn’t that what should lie at the heart of all collaboration?Of those that do collaborate, around half do so with another company. Twenty-four percent also report net-working with non-business stakehold-ers, highlighting the importance of collaboration extending to those out-side an organization’s narrow contact pool. Quite clearly, the environmental health of the planet could hardly be more important to everyone’s future, so why wouldn’t we collaborate, even among competing commercial and geopolitical interests?Indeed, the sharing of knowledge across international borders will con-tinue to be essential in bringing sepa-rate energy resources into respective energy matrixes. At Vysus Group, it is not at all uncommon for our teams on opposite sides of the equator to join forces without ever having to get on a plane, such has been the advance of collaborative technologies. Tools such as Microsoft Teams and SharePoint are commonplace, spurred on of course by the pandemic, offering hitherto un-imaginable degrees of workspace chat, videoconferencing, le storage and ap-plication integration. They now operate seamlessly in a networked world where remote monitoring and inspections of energy assets, including scenario-modeling, as in the case of our Pro-maps solution. Of course, these are just a sample of what can assist us going forward in our quest to collaborate for a more sustainable world.So, where are we at this precise mo-ment on our urgent journey toward a secure, sustainable energy future? The U.K. has one of the most ambi-tious plans for renewable energy in the world, with some 86GW potentially coming from offshore wind alone, far Continued on next page...

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com22Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com22ELECTRIC VEHICLE TECHNOLOGYENERGY TRILEMMAahead of China and the U.S. pipelines of 78GW and 48GW respectively. And that is before the likes of solar and nuclear come into consideration. Storage will be crucial here, as will how this extraordinary power can traverse global boundaries.It will be a signicant logistical and technological challenge, one that will require the resources of multiple groups, countries, and indeed, the public, for the U.K.’s renewable goals to become more than a pipedream. Engineers, innovators and companies all need to be in sync. If we look again at the Global Com-pact annual survey, it is clear to see that collaborative working is key. Around a quarter of participants cite a lack of both time and resources as hold-ing them back in their contribution to progressing the 17 Sustainable Devel-opment Goals (SDGs), certainly in terms of where they would otherwise like to be.Despite all this, it is quite clear that there’s a genuine desire from partici-pants to play their part. Nearly half of the circa 1,300 respondents reveal that their company’s board of directors discuss and act on corporate respon-sibility issues as part of their formal environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda – something which may not have been the case in previous years – and even more importantly, hold themselves accountable. Encour-agingly, 54 percent of those surveyed appoint “subcommittee” members to ensure actions are recorded and adopt-ed, and this is ltering from the very top level through to external suppliers, in the case of diversity and inclusion training and climate change advocacy.But let’s be realistic for a moment. Sus-tainability needs to be 100 percent col-laboration. Sixty-two percent of Global Compact members are also engaged with one of the many local networks across the world, yet that still leaves around a quarter (24 percent) that either are not at all or are unsure whether their organization does in the rst place.Whatever the reason, collaboration is as much about learning what can be done to improve, as it is the physical implementation.Though the environment is a primary concern for most, when it comes to being “sustainable,” there are other ar-eas that need to be under the spotlight. The 17 SDGs upon which the Global Compact is formed provide the ideal platform for cross-goal collaboration, taking skills and knowledge prevalent in one area and transitioning them to other, interconnected circles. This is by no means an instantaneous process; for it to truly work, collaboration needs to go further than simply promoting the rationale and benets, and focus as well on the bigger picture, asking what can be learned and passed on.A classic example is the oil and gas sector’s role in advancing the cause of and case for the energy transition. Car-bon capture data is routinely gathered as part of an oil rig’s active lifecycle; therefore, it can be utilized to assess overall efciency and be the frame-work for evaluating Scopes One, Two and Three emissions, all from one pool of data. Collaboration in the form of a multi-disciplinary approach (something which nearly 40 percent of Global Compact signatories aspire toward in their risk management practices) shares the burden of knowledge and, by extension, the level of responsibility through a traceable, transparent opera-tion that holds all parties accountable.This approach, one we ourselves have embraced at Vysus Group through our AA1000AS AccountAbility Sustain-ability Assurance license accreditation, brings technical competencies and knowledge together with specialist environmental expertise, covering both sides of the coin simultaneously.Time and again, the same statement keeps appearing in media headlines and in conversations with individual stakeholders: We are living in disrup-tive times. It’s a point that needs no further explanation. And yet, what we are not hearing enough about is how disparate groups can join more of the dots to make transition possible. That includes internal teams and depart-ments within organizations, which can then join others at the forefront of idea generation and promotion of pro-cesses that position their organization as an exemplar in advancing the energy transition at the pace it needs to. So, let’s return to the beginning, when we asked ourselves if “collaboration” needs to be redened for the energy transition. Does the dictionary deni-tion still ring true, and does it cover enough ground for these highly disrup-tive times? Or is collaboration also about rallying others’ contributions and confronting head-on such existen-tial world changing issues?Robert Nyiredy is VP of Risk Manage-ment Consulting with Vysus Group. He brings both deep and wide technical experience and management experience to his current roles as a team manager, as a project manager, sales manage-ment and in leading the global Risk Management Consulting business. He has experience across several market areas including oil and gas, energy and renewables. His key expertise, however, is within the oil and gas industry and its complex global business environment seek-ing sustainable growth opportuni-ties while safely controlling risks. Nyiredy graduated as an aero-nautical engineer from RWTH Aachen in 1996 and has worked in many industry segments us-ing computational fluid dynamics (CFD). He has extensive knowl-edge related to environmental flow studies pertaining to the oil and gas industry, such as disper-sion modeling of exhaust chronic exposure to toxic compounds, helideck studies for the Nor-wegian and British sectors, and consequence analysis such as fire and explosion modeling.

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com24TECHNOLOGYTechnology Breakthrough Transforms Flaring Gas to Clean Hydrogen By Michael StuschGas aring is now recognized as a major contributor to the emission of harm-ful gases affecting climate change and society by creating increased incidences of cancer in communities close to ar-ing sites. Sadly, aring has been around for more than 150 years since the advent of oil and gas production, occurring when crude oil is extracted underground and natural gas is brought to the surface. Particularly prevalent in areas with lim-ited infrastructure, this gas is burned off seemingly without regulation. In fact, some 144 billion cubic meters of gas is ared each year, enough to power the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.The pollutants emitted are highly harm-ful to humans, according to a recent report by the BBC, and to the environ-ment. Flaring emits black carbon, meth-ane and volatile organic compounds that pollute the air and have been linked not just to cancer, but deformities in chil-dren, lung damage and skin problems. It contributes to over seven million deaths a year from air pollution. In addition, it is estimated that black carbon is sec-ond only to carbon dioxide in terms of its impact on global warming. This is because it absorbs sunlight, warm-ing the atmosphere, landing on ice and snow, and reducing its ability to reect light. So, the big question is, what can be done? Fortunately, a solution is on the near horizon.Overcoming Energy WasteAccording to the World Bank, aring is a monumental waste of a valuable natural resource that should be used for productive purposes, such as generating power, and that is what technology from H2-Industries, a global energy storage solutions company, can achieve. The company has developed a solution to convert these environmentally harmful aring gases right at the are of an oil production eld to clean hydrogen and solid carbon. H2-Industries use pyrolysis technology to convert this environmentally harmful waste product into clean hydrogen. The hydrogen production process from ar-ing gas is CO2-emission free. Pyrolysis is when a solid (or a liquid) undergoes thermal degradation into smaller vola-tile molecules without interacting with oxygen or other oxidants. It is essential to understand that pyrolysis is not a phase change but a chemical process. It is a thermal degradation process that occurs under heat and degrades larger molecules into smaller ones.The technology will be delivered in self-contained 20 or 40-foot ISO containers and can be pre-assembled in a semi-se-rial production and shipped for instal-lation to the aring site. The process provides clean hydrogen bound in liq-uid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC). LOHC are organic compounds that can absorb and release hydrogen through chemical reactions. LOHCs can there-fore be used as a storage medium for hydrogen. H2-Industries has developed and commercialized the use of LOHC to make hydrogen handling safer and cheaper. With LOHC, the volatile hydrogen gas no longer needs to be cooled or compressed in a costly and energy-intensive manner to enable eco-nomical transport.Any process is only as economic and ecological as its primary feedstock and, in the case of H2-Industries, the critical feedstock is a waste product. One crucial requirement for the process is electricity supplied by internal power generation units that do not use fossil fuel energy sources or the grid. CO2-free electric-Photo courtesy of lkyam – www.123RF.com

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com25TECHNOLOGYity can be provided either by hydrogen fuel cells that transform the hydrogen produced on-site into electrical power or Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) units that recover heat from the hydrogen storage in LOHC units and wasted heat from the water gas shift process to produce power for the entire process.The process can produce up to 100 kg of clean hydrogen and 730 kg of solid carbon from a ton of aring gas. A typi-cal, medium-sized oil platform releases 13,500 tons of aring gas annually, and a single H2-Industries Flare to Hydrogen container can produce 158 tons of clean hydrogen per year. By processing 100 million tons of aring gas per year, the amount ared in 2021, ten million tons of clean hydrogen can be produced. The clean hydrogen for between $2 and $3 per kg, while market price levels are be-tween $3 and $4 for grey hydrogen and $7 for CO2-emission-free hydrogen.Clean Carbon BlackThe only byproduct of the process is solid carbon black that can be shipped for export to any place in the world us-ing ISO container tanks. Carbon black is mainly used to strengthen rubber in tires. It can also act as a pigment, UV stabilizer, conductive or insulating agent in various rubber, plastic, coating applications and other everyday use, including hoses, conveyor belts, shoes and printing.Carbon black is usually produced in a high temperature reactor through a tightly controlled ame synthesis process that uses oil, and sometimes natural gas, as feedstock. As a result, the production of carbon black, as well as the production of its feedstock, con-tributes signicantly to global warming and environmental pollution.The H2-Industries process captures clean carbon black, not produced from fossil fuels, but from harmful produc-tion emissions with no additional CO2 emissions. This carbon black can be sold on the world market, where the current prices are between $1.5 and $2.5 per kg.The Hydrogenation ProcessIt is crucial that any process can cope with the varying make-up of feedstock. Flare gas composition differs from are to are; therefore, the pure meth-ane (CH4) needs to be separated with membranes that remove the various blends of carbon hydrates so that only pure CH4 remains. This CH4 is then cracked in a methane pyrolysis process into clean hydrogen and solid carbon with no CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere.With pressures between 30 – 50 bar and catalysts specially developed for this ap-plication, the LOHC can be hydrogenat-ed; hydrogen can be chemically bound. The resulting hydrogenated LOHC+ can be handled using the known gaso-line and diesel fuel infrastructure. The hydrogenation process is exothermic. The waste heat developed in this way can be used in other processes, thus increasing the overall system efciency. To dehydrate the LOHC+ to release the hydrogen from the liquid again, the LOHC+ passes through a dehydrogena-tion reactor, which contains the catalyst required for this process.In contrast to hydrogenation, dehydro-genation is an endothermic reaction. Therefore, the necessary energy must be added and can, for example, be made available within the system by us-ing the clean hydrogen itself or provid-ed by other external heat sources. The dehydrogenated LOHC- can now be returned to the location of the hydro-genation and “reloaded” with hydrogen. The cycle is closed. The LOHC itself is not consumed but reused many times over. The service life is also increased by the possibility of purication as soon as this becomes necessary after various cycles.Reductions in absolute are volumes and aring intensity have stalled in the last decade, despite early solid progress, as reported in the World Bank 2022 Glob-al Gas Flaring Tracker. Impressive reduc-tions in some countries have not offset concerning increases in others. The top ten aring countries accounted for 75 percent of all gas aring and 50 per-cent of global oil production in 2021. Seven of the top ten aring countries have held this position consistently for the last ten years: Russia, Iraq, Iran, the United States, Venezuela, Algeria and Nigeria. The remaining three – Mexico, Libya and China – have shown signi-cant aring increases in recent years.According to the International En-ergy Agency (IEA), the time is ripe for tapping into hydrogen’s much vaunted potential contribution to a sustain-able energy system. Hydrogen can be used in many more applications than those common today. Although this still accounts for a small share of total hydrogen demand, recent progress in expanding its reach has been strong, particularly in transport. It can also be used in houses, portable power and many more applications. By utilizing LOHC technology from H2-Industries, harmful emissions from gas aring can be avoided and turned into valuable and much needed green hydrogen to in-crease the pace of the energy transition.Michael Stusch is the executive chairman and chief executive ofcer (CEO) of H2-Industries SE and managing direc-tor of the Global Energy Trading Foundation GmbH. He has built H2-Industries over the last decade into an energy storage company based in Germany. His achievements include developing scalable LOHC eDevices, which can be used to store and release electrical power in a cost-effective way.Stusch is an experienced entrepreneur focused in the high-tech sector and founded ADTECH AG (Internet pioneer in the area of online advertis-ing) and sold it successfully in 2007 to AOL/Time Warner.He holds a master’s degree in Preci-sion Engineering from the University of Frankfurt (Germany) and studied mechanical engineering and business administration in Darmstadt (Ger-many).

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com28NONPROFITCarbon-Free Cooking By Elizabeth WilderEverybody cooks. Whether using World Health Organization-designated “clean fuels” – electricity, biogas, natural gas, liquied petroleum gas (LPG), solar or alcohol – or “dirty fuels,” such as char-coal, kerosene, biomass or wood, most basic foods must be heated to be edible. Globally, 2.4 billion people lack access to clean cooking. As a result, 3.2 mil-lion people die every year from indoor air pollution caused by burning “dirty fuels” in their homes. These premature deaths strike rural residents hardest; 52 percent of them rely on dirty fuel.Solar cooking is carbon-free and can be implemented relatively quickly in supply chain challenged locations. However, the current adoption of solar cookers as primary cooking equipment is still very limited. Several dedicated and dispersed nonprots are trying to change that in order to improve the lives of people living in some of the most difcult loca-tions on earth.The Public-Private Alliance Foundation (PPAF) has supported clean cooking in Haiti since 2012, and implemented solar cooking in 2018. “Our Haitian-American colleague Rose Bazile and her team created the rst college course in Haiti on solar cooking and biodigesters at the University Notre Dame d’Haiti,” says David Stillman, executive director of PPAF. “By teaching seminars, testing and demonstrating solar cooking in the cities of Hinche, Jacmel and Cotes de Fer, Rose’s team promotes solar cooking in Haiti.” PPAF has deployed 150 cook-ers to date.PPAF uses the Haines 2.0, which posi-tions a black cooking pot with a tight-tting glass lid inside a exible mylar foam reector that folds into a package the size of a yoga mat. “The Haines is simple, collapsible, powerful and fairly durable,” Stillman says. “People use it to prepare a wide variety of beans, rice, soups, stews and eggs.” Stillman esti-mates demand for solar cookers exceeds 10,000 units and aims to encourage small businesses to achieve this. The large majority of Haitian families rely on charcoal for cooking their daily meals, which accelerates deforestation and associated environmental problems such as landslides. Charcoal is expensive and disproportionately burdens local families’ income. PPAF’s local team has requested many more solar cookers be-cause the demand is high. Stillman cred-its Bazile with PPAF’s success and, as a next step, aims to encourage local busi-nesses to build and sell solar cookers. (See sidebar for the solar cooker recipe for Soup Joumou, which is traditionally served on Haitian National Day.)Grace Chepkemei reports that so-lar cookers have been similarly well received in Eldoret, Kenya. In a project jointly sponsored by the Rotary Club of San Diego, Solar Household Energy, the Solar Energy Project, and Haines Solar Cookers LLC, twenty members of the St. Joseph Church enrolled in a seven-day solar cooking workshop. Before the workshop, Chepkemei reported that the main cooking fuels in the area were rewood and charcoal, often illegally sourced from the forest. To prepare for the workshop, and to David Stillman & Rose Bazile presenting at the United Nations.Nepal Sanu Kaji Shrestha - Nawajeevan.

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com29NONPROFITkeep costs down, only the exible solar panels of the Haines cookers were im-ported. Suitable local pots were found and painted black with reproof paint. The glass lids, essential for the focused sunlight to reach the food, were also sourced locally. By the end of the course, “All partici-pants cooked various foods and baked bread and cakes in front of the church and so many parishioners viewed and tested the food. They were amazed at the wonders of the sun and the Haines cooker. Many insisted that they too should be trained on solar cooking. We are happy that we now have 20 trainers who can go to different places to train,” says Chepkemi.In Oaxaca, Mexico, a third small group of solar cooking pioneers is led by Lo-rena Harp. The “Mujeres del Sol” train indigenous women on how to cook and preserve food using solar cookers. One student, Villanueva Reyes, says, “At the beginning, it was very strange. We were 20 women learning together. Now I save a lot because I don’t spend on electricity.” Reyes notes that she pre-pares beans, pumpkin and potatoes in her cooker. Reyes provides a sobering reminder that even basic hygiene costs money. “The pot doesn’t get smoky, so you don’t use much soap.” These projects have one man in com-mon: Roger Haines. Following a 29-year career as an assistant U.S. attorney, Haines became interested in solar cook-ing. Already active with the San Diego Rotary Club (co-chair International Projects) and the Alliance for African Assistance (a refugee resettlement orga-nization), a 2013 conversation between Haines and a newly-arrived Ugandan refugee inspired Haines to design his rst solar cooker. “Over 4,000 cookers have been sold online so far, and the sustainability organization Treehugger rates the Haines 2.0 as the best overall solar cooker of 2023,” Haines says. “We are scaling up to meet demand. We partner with NGOs and entrepreneurs to make cookers more available in developing countries. Scale-up costs are high and challenging.” Tireless, Haines serves on the board of Solar Household Energy, a Washington, D.C. nonprot. And in his “spare” time, he recently co-authored Federal Sentencing Guidelines Handbook, 2022-2023 edition. Solar cooking is not perfect. On rainy or cloudy days, a backup fuel must be used to cook. Still, “In locations like the Sahel region of Africa, or India, or Central America, solar meets the needs of families a very large percentage of the time,” says Executive Director of Solar Cookers International (SCI) Cait-Continued on next page...Roger Haines and the Haines 2.0 courtesy of Haines Solar Cookers.

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Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com30Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com3030Energies Magazine / Spring 2023 / EnergiesMagazine.com30SoupeJoumouINGREDIENTS• ½ Large Joumou (Giromon squash)• 5 Carrots• 2 Yams• 4 Malangas• 1 Small Cabbage• 3 Leeks• 2 Militons• 2 Turnips• Some Goat meat• 1 Small Bag of Macaroni• Spice• Maggi powder• Butter• SaltTime: 3hr 51 min Serves: 4 personsDIRECTIONS1. Put the water on to heat in the solar cooker.2. Wash and peel the vegetables.3. Cut the vegetables and goat meat into bite size pieces.4. Add joumou to pot and begin cooking.5. Add the rest of the vegetables, goat meat, and pasta to pot along with seasoning.6. Simmer until meat is fully cooked and vegetables and pasta are tender.7. Adjust seasoning to taste.8. Allow the dish to cool before serving.This is the traditional Haitian dish enjoyed on Independence Day, January 1st!NONPROFITlyn Hughes. SCI’s leadership through advocacy, best practices capacity building, and research on measuring the power of solar cooking products resulted in the organization being named a Keeling Curve Prize Laureate in 2021.“Over four million solar cookers are currently in use worldwide, preventing over 5.8 million metric tons of CO2 emissions each year,” says Hughes. “This is the equivalent of taking 1.25 million cars off the road. Solar cook-ers can boil water. In fact, at the Muni Sera Ashram in Gujarat, India, solar hot water is used on an institutional scale. SCI held our 2018 solar cook-ing conference at Muni Sera Ashram because we wanted our 200 guests to witness the parabolic and box cookers that produce food and clean water for hundreds of students and residents every day.”SCI calculates and publishes the costs and potential impact of solar cooking by country. For example, in Mexico, household air pollution kills 15,680 people prematurely every year. Ap-proximately 19.7 million Mexicans rely on dirty cooking fuels. If these households deployed solar cooking 25 percent of the time, SCI’s model projects annual savings of $8.2 billion in energy, environmental and health costs. The potential impact of solar is demonstrated by SCI in country after country: Nepal – $2.6 billion. Haiti – $931 million.Clean cooking covers a range of alter-natives that help truly disadvantaged families achieve a better and healthier standard of living. Thanks to the work of PPAF, Haines, SHE, SCI and the many volunteer organizations bringing this technology to last-mile commu-nities, carbon-free solar cooking is growing in use. In the words of Grace Chepkemi, “I believe this is the begin-ning of a great journey.”Elizabeth Wilder is a freelance writer based in Houston, Texas. Credits: Photos & reporting, Fedno LUBIN Cook, Sourette TIDA

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