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Program Domain

Resilient Energy, Water and Infrastructure

Gas sampling from a warm soda spring in Long Valley caldera (east moat), Mammoth Mountain, CA. (At left, D. Shuster, at right, B.M. Kennedy.)

Researchers in the Resilient Energy, Water and Infrastructure Program Domain are developing and applying scientific approaches to solving existing and emerging challenges of sustainability 'and resiliency' of subsurface energy utilization and important linkages to water, environment, energy infrastructure, and society.

Programs

Initiative

Water-Energy

Develop approaches for sustainable groundwater management and identification of new water resources including groundwater storage opportunities while reducing associated cost and energy demands and insuring water quality. Anticipate, assess, manage, and mitigate potential impacts of emerging energy technologies on water systems and quality.

Peter S. Nico psnico@lbl.gov 510-486-7118

Program

Lithium Resource Research and Innovation Center (LiRRIC)

Berkeley Lab has established the Lithium Resource Research and Innovation Center (LiRRIC) to power lithium innovation. Through the new center, the national laboratory’s resource experts in environmental science are guiding research and development into lithium extraction technologies so that science breakthroughs lead to the greatest economic and environmental benefits.

Michael Whittaker mwhittaker@lbl.gov 510-486-6596

Critical Infrastructure Composite
Initiative

Critical Infrastructure

Develop recognized multidisciplinary science and engineering capabilities to address the Nation’s massive infrastructure challenges (energy facilities, industrial complexes, pipelines, levees, bridges, buildings). Contribute to the next generation of sustainable and resilient infrastructure with respect to natural phenomena and hazards such as earthquakes or climate change.

David McCallen dbmccallen@lbl.gov 510-486-7661

Initiative

Environmental Resilience

Develop and apply science-based methodologies for analyzing and calculating hazards and risks across different subsurface energy applications while ensuring that related uncertainties are adequately quantified, and applying science based solutions to the mitigation of hazardous events when they do occur.

Haruko Murakami Wainwright hmwainwright@lbl.gov 510-495-2038

Initiative

Grid-Scale Subsurface Energy Storage

Understand and develop effective and affordable grid-scale energy storage in the deep subsurface, such as porous media compressed air energy storage, thermal energy storage, or hydrogen storage. Carry out research on capacity assessment, design of systems, performance analysis, assessment of risks, and specialized analysis of site-specific issues.

Benjamin Gilbert bgilbert@lbl.gov 510-495-2748

Background

Energy supply and use, including subsurface energy, are closely linked to water availability and quality, spanning multiple dimensions related to environment, infrastructure, society, and policy. In collaboration with other programs within the Earth and Environmental Sciences Area (EESA), the Resilient Energy, Water and Infrastructure Program Domain explores these links in several initiatives that bring together geoscientists, environmental scientists, hydrologists, ecologists, and climate scientists.

There is a growing recognition today of the importance of the nexus between energy and water, and the need for this to be actively managed across the nation and particularly in California with its historic water distribution challenges. Resilient Energy, Water and Infrastructure scientists are leveraging unique subsurface characterization and monitoring expertise with advanced modeling capabilities to promote sustainable groundwater management and identification of new water resources and storage opportunities while reducing associated costs and energy demand and ensuring water quality. Research areas include

  1. improved groundwater recharge for enhanced storage
  2. beneficial re-use of waters that otherwise would be treated as waste
  3. environmentally sustainable subsurface utilization and its potential impacts on water

Assessment and reduction of environmental risk from subsurface energy applications are central elements of the current research portfolio (e.g., CO2 leakage to groundwater, impacts from (unconventional) oil and gas production, etc.). Capabilities include multi-scale modeling, monitoring and detection, cleanup and mitigation planning, as well as system-level risk and performance assessment tools.

Another important geoscience linkage between energy and water is the desire to develop effective and affordable grid-scale energy storage in the deep subsurface. Grid-scale energy storage is needed to accommodate increasing contributions of intermittent renewable (solar and wind) electricity. Currently, the U.S. can store about 2.3% of its total electricity production, and 95% of this is by pumped hydro. Furthermore, in October 2013, California mandated 1.3 GW of statewide energy storage by 2020, which implies a mandate to increase grid-scale energy storage in California by a factor of 37 (!) by 2020. Grid-scale storage in the deep subsurface is an intriguing option that requires further research. Current approaches include porous media compressed air energy storage, thermal energy storage, or subsurface hydrogen storage.

Our nation’s energy infrastructure is threatened by existing and emerging natural phenomena, such as earthquakes and climate change. For example, damage to power plants, the electrical grid, or natural gas storage infrastructure from natural and perhaps induced seismic events can disrupt our energy supply. In addition, the evolution of environmental conditions driven by climate change can create previously unanticipated conditions and challenges. Credible estimates of sea-level rise associated with global warming can create major challenges for critical facilities and infrastructure located in low-lying areas. Researchers work on designing and creating more resilient systems with respect to environmental conditions and upsets, for example by developing verified and validated high-performance simulation models for infrastructure systems, leveraging advanced sensor and monitoring and solutions for critical infrastructure, and using science-base capabilities for engineered systems analysis and design.

This program domain is part of EESA’s Energy Geosciences Division.

Program Domain Leads

Peter S. Nico
Deputy Director, Energy Geosciences Division;
Resilient Energy, Water and Infrastructure Program Domain Lead;
UC Berkeley Associate Adjunct Professor;
Senior Scientist

Helen G. Prieto
Program Operations Analyst

News & Events

Chun Chang Places Second in Annual Berkeley Lab Pitch Competition

January 18, 2023

Commercializing Berkeley Lab inventions is an important part of the Lab’s mission, and one that requires strong communication skills. For example, Lab inventors need to be able to pitch their ideas to external partners and potential funders.  The annual Berkeley Lab Pitch Competition occurred on October 27, 2022 and is a part of an entrepreneurship…

EESA Scientists Collaborate With Universities to bring Environmental Science Research Opportunities and Training to Students Underrepresented in STEM

January 13, 2023

  EESA researchers are collaborators in three of the 41 projects awarded in December by DOE through its Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce (RENEW) initiative.  RENEW aims to build foundations for research at institutions that have been historically underrepresented in the Office of Science (SC) research portfolio. The initiative provides opportunities for undergraduate and…

Berkeley Lab Hosts Successful CouFrac 2022 Conference

November 29, 2022

The 3rd International Conference on Coupled Processes in Fractured Geological Media: Observation, Modeling, and Application (CouFrac 2022) took place at Berkeley Lab and online everywhere else on November 14-16. Berkeley Lab Research Scientist Mengsu Hu led the conference along with Berkeley Lab Senior Scientists Carl Steefel and Jonny Rutqvist to explore the exciting new advances…

Cracking the Secrets to Earthquake Safety, One Shake Simulation at a Time

This article first appeared at https://newscenter.lbl.gov/. A new experimental capability, designed to replicate realistic earthquakes in the laboratory, paired with the world’s fastest supercomputers, will help lead to resilient buildings and infrastructure across the U.S. To make sure our buildings and infrastructure are earthquake-safe, we must understand how seismic activity affects different structures. Miniature models…

Christophe Tournassat Honored by Clay Minerals Society

November 14, 2022

Christophe Tournassat, currently an EESA visiting faculty scientist in the Energy Geosciences Division, has been named by the Clay Minerals Society to receive the Marion L. and Christie M. Jackson Mid-Career Clay Scientist Award for his contributions to the clay mineralogy field. He will receive the award during the 60th anniversary of the Clay Mineral…

EESA Geophysicists Explore Landslide Hazard Using Novel Remote-Sensing Approach

October 17, 2022

Torrential rains in Venezuela early last week provoked a devastating landslide, adding to the deluge of stunning climatic events of the past month. With locations around the globe receiving larger amounts of intense rainfall over shorter periods of time under climate change, bigger, costlier landslides that directly impact infrastructure have become more frequent–and urbanization exacerbates…

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