University collaboration awards grants for innovative energy projects

The University of Houston (UH) and Scotland's Heriot-Watt University (HWU) have initiated a collaborative effort by awarding seed grants to six energy projects aimed at developing innovative solutions. This initiative is part of the "UH2HWU" program, established after a memorandum of understanding between the two universities. The selected projects focus on diverse areas, including hydrogen sensing technology and waste conversion into sustainable products.

Ramanan Krishnamoorti, UH's vice president for energy and innovation, emphasized the significance of hydrogen in achieving sustainable energy solutions. "This partnership is rooted in a shared commitment to advancing research that supports a just energy transition," he stated.

The program provided $20,000 in seed funding to each project. Michael Harold, assistant vice president for intellectual property and industrial engagement at UH, highlighted the involvement of industry experts in evaluating proposals. “We wanted to bring in industry experts to not only assess the quality of the proposals but also to attract industry support of the projects,” he said.

Among the funded projects is one focusing on repurposing offshore infrastructure for clean energy in the North Sea. Investigators include Ram Seetharam from UH and Edward Owens and Sandy Kerr from HWU. Another project aims to develop a novel hydrogen sensor using optical fiber technology led by Stanko Brankovic from UH and Marc Little from HWU.

Other initiatives include addressing greenhouse gas emissions from oil wells in Texas, led by Ganesh Thakur from UH and Aaron Cahill from HWU; exploring modified waste polymers as coatings for hydrogen pipelines with Megan Robertson and Anil Bhowmick from UH; assessing global perspectives on hydrogen refueling with Christine Ehlig-Economides and Joe Powell from UH; and studying circular carbon economy strategies led by Joe Powell along with Rafaella Ocone, Aimaro Sanna, and Nik Willoughby from HWU.

Through these collaborative efforts, both institutions aim to contribute significantly toward tackling global energy challenges while fostering sustainable advancements within the sector.