ADVERTISEABOUT USSUBMIT A STORYTERMS OF USEPRIVACY POLICY
Visit our family of Brands

The View from HETI

Introducing the Houston Energy Transition Initiative

Houston Energy Transition Initiative
Jun 29, 2023, 7:35 am
Badge
The View From HETI
“HETI’s objective is to create a vision and a blueprint for growing the region’s economy, exporting low-carbon products and expertise, equitably creating new jobs, and helping the city of Houston achieve the goals of its Climate Action Plan.” Image via htxenergytransition.org

For over 100 years, Houston has long been considered the energy capital of the world. With newer, cleaner energy initiatives on the rise, Houston is poised to continue with the title.

The economic vitality and growth of our region’s economy is inextricably tied to the energy industry, and the industry is changing rapidly to meet growing global energy demand while simultaneously lowering emissions. The Greater Houston Partnership’s Houston Energy Transition Initiative (HETI) builds on the best of traditional energy skills and systems to leverage Houston’s industry leadership to accelerate global solutions for an energy-abundant, low-carbon future.

“HETI’s objective is to create a vision and a blueprint for growing the region’s economy, exporting low-carbon products and expertise, equitably creating new jobs, and helping the city of Houston achieve the goals of its Climate Action Plan,” said Jane Stricker, Senior Vice President Energy Transition and Executive Director of HETI. “There is no geography in the world better positioned than Houston to lead the transition to and integration of abundant, low-carbon energy solutions.”

HETI harnesses Houston's industry leadership as well as capitalizes on traditional energy expertise and infrastructure to facilitate worldwide solutions for an energy abundant, low-carbon future. Over the last two years, HETI’s developed a strategic plan and fully launched this strategy to help companies meet the dual challenge.

"Houston has both the opportunity and a responsibility to lead the transition. It is our opportunity to embrace, and our challenge to solve. And when we are successful, we will be creating opportunity for the generations of Houstonians to come," said Bobby Tudor, Chair, Houston Energy Transition Initiative

HETI has formed working groups dedicated to driving progress in key sectors where Houston holds a strategic edge. These active sector-specific working groups are: CCUS, Capital Formation, Power Management, Clean Hydrogen, and Industry Decarbonization. All these groups are working closely with HETI members to accelerate solutions to help take on the dual challenge of meeting the world's increasing energy needs, while also reducing CO2 emissions.

------

The Greater Houston Partnership's Houston Energy Transition Initiative, or HETI, exists to support Houston's future as an energy leader. For more information about the Houston Energy Transition Initiative, EnergyCapitalHTX's presenting sponsor, visit htxenergytransition.org.

Clean HydrogenLow-Carbon FuturehetiClimate Action PlanJane StrickerHouston Energy Transition Initiative

Trending News

growing tech

Canadian company secures Houston funding, relocates HQ

A View From HETI

the view from heti

New initiative to drive efforts to deploy first advanced small modular nuclear reactor

the view from heti

Houston is at the heart of an 'all of the above' energy transition strategy

A View From UH

analyzing earth

New study from Houston research team looks at how the Earth cycles fossil carbon

A Rice University professor studied the Earth's carbon cycle in the Rio Madre de Dios to shed light on current climate conditions. Photo courtesy of Mark Torres/Rice University

Carbon cycles through Earth, its inhabitants, and its atmosphere on a regular basis, but not much research has been done on that process and qualifying it — until now.

In a recent study of a river system extending from the Peruvian Andes to the Amazon floodplains, Rice University’s Mark Torres and collaborators from five institutions proved that that high rates of carbon breakdown persist from mountaintop to floodplain.

“The purpose of this research was to quantify the rate at which Earth naturally releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and find out whether this process varies across different geographic locations,” Torres says in a news release.

Torres published his findings in a study published in PNAS, explaining how they used rhenium — a silvery-gray, heavy transition metal — as a proxy for carbon. The research into the Earth’s natural, pre-anthropogenic carbon cycle stands to benefit humanity by providing valuable insight to current climate challenges.

“This research used a newly-developed technique pioneered by Robert Hilton and Mathieu Dellinger that relies on a trace element — rhenium — that’s incorporated in fossil organic matter,” Torres says. “As plankton die and sink to the bottom of the ocean, that dead carbon becomes chemically reactive in a way that adds rhenium to it.”

The research was done in the Rio Madre de Dios basin and supported by funding from a European Research Council Starting Grant, the European Union COFUND/Durham Junior Research Fellowship, and the National Science Foundation.

“I’m very excited about this tool,” Torres said. “Rice students have deployed this same method in our lab here, so now we can make this kind of measurement and apply it at other sites. In fact, as part of current research funded by the National Science Foundation, we are applying this technique in Southern California to learn how tectonics and climate influence the breakdown of fossil carbon.”

Torres also received a three-year grant from the Department of Energy to study soil for carbon storage earlier this year.

mark torresrice universitycarbon cycling

Trending News

growing tech

Canadian company secures Houston funding, relocates HQ