Publications & Related Work
Publications
A sample of research by Baker Institute fellows and other Rice University experts that directly or indirectly relates to EMM work follows. Our program's research portfolios and output are constantly growing and changing. Follow our experts to keep up with new releases and contributions!
Related research by external collaborators
- Lithium systematics in global arc magmas and the importance of crustal thickening for lithium enrichment by Chen Chen, Cin-Ty A. Lee, Ming Tang, Kevin Biddle and Weidong Song, Nature Communications 11 (Oct. 20, 2020): 5313.
- The Valley of Death for New Energy Technologies by Peter Hartley and Kenneth B. Medlock III, The Energy Journal 38, no. 3 (May 2017).
- The Future of Long-term LNG Contracts by Peter Hartley, The Energy Journal 36, no. 3 (2015). This paper won a Campbell Watkins award.
- Global Survey of Copper Electrorefining: 2019 World Tankhouse Operating Data by Michael S. Moats, et al., Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, January 1, 2019.
- Sustainability and in situ monitoring in battery development by C.P. Grey and J.M. Tarascon, Nature Materials 16 (2017).
- Foresight Review of Energy Storage by Nigel Brandon and Jacqueline Edge, Lloyd's Register Foundation (June 2017).
- Life Cycle Modelling of the Production and Use of Lithium-Ion Batteries Utilising Novel Electrode Chemistries in China by Evangelos Kallitsis, Anna Korre, et al., The Electrochemical Society, ECS Meeting Abstracts, Volume MA2019-02, A05-Lithium Ion Batteries.
- Bottom-up approaches to estimate life cycle GHG emissions of fossil fuel production, transport, energy production, CO2capture and storage by Anna Korre, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), November 24, 2015.
- Mining life cycle modeling: a cradle-to-gate approach to environmental management in the minerals industry, by Sevket Durucan, Anna Korre and Gabriela Munoz-Melendez, Journal of Cleaner Production 14 (2006).
Testimony
"Minerals & Materials Supply Chains – Considerations for Decarbonizing Transportation," Michelle Michot Foss, Ph.D., before the U.S. House of Representatives, House Subcommittee on Energy on the CLEAN Future Act, Hearing on "The Clean Future Act: Driving Decarbonization of the Transportation Sector," May 5, 2021. Michot Foss' remarks start at the 53:09 mark. Her written statement is available here.
“Critical Minerals Considerations for Energy Transitions,” Michelle Michot Foss, Ph.D., before the U.S. House of Representatives, House Committee on Energy & Commerce, Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change, Hearing on “Building a 100 Percent Clean Economy: Opportunities for an Equitable, Low-Carbon Recovery,” Sept. 16, 2020.
Presentations and Infographics
- China Energy Map by Elsie Hung
- Open-Source Mapping Of China's Energy Infrastructure by Elsie Hung, Gabriel B. Collins and Michelle Michot Foss (updated)
- Old & New Energy and Minerals–Risks, Uncertainties and Gaps in Knowledge, by Michelle Michot Foss (presentation to the Greater Houston Partnership Energy Advisory Council, July 23, 2019). A version also presented at a U.S. Geological Survey-National Minerals Information Center seminar, July 18.
- Energy in Transition, by Michelle Michot Foss (presentation to the World Federation of Science, Permanent Monitoring Panel on Energy, Erice, Sicily, August 22, 2019).
- Want an electric pickup to tow like a Ford F-250? You'll need a battery that weighs as much as an F-150 Raptor, by Gabriel B. Collins, January 28, 2020.
- High-End Electric Vehicles = Power-to-Weight Ratio of an Aircraft, Onboard Fuel of a Subcompact Car, by Gabriel B. Collins, January 8, 2020.
Advanced recycling can deliver on climate goals
Rachel A. Meidl
April 19, 2021
Advanced recycling of plastics can help the U.S. achieve sustainability goals and a climate-neutral, circular economy. Energy fellow Rachel A. Meidl explains how on the Baker Institute Blog: https://bit.ly/2P80lV6
Chinese Firms Position for an Energy Transition Copper Supercycle
Gabriel Collins, Michelle Michot Foss and Steven W. Lewis
April 05, 2021
If China’s dominance of rare earth element supplies is the global energy transition’s “elephant in the room,” then copper is the 800-pound gorilla, write the authors in a new post for the Baker Institute Blog that explores how the copper acquisition dilemma could hinder green energy ambitions and constitute the driving force behind a copper supercycle.
Waste Management and the Energy Transition
Rachel A. Meidl
February 19, 2021
Integrating a life-cycle dimension into future policies to assess the social, environmental and economic implications of various products across their life cycle and throughout their value chain is critical to achieving sustainability and a circular economy, writes Rachel A. Meidl, fellow in energy and environment.
The Future of Plastics Sustainability: Advanced Recycling
Rachel A. Meidl
February 15, 2021
Energy fellow Rachel A. Meidl writes that it is imperative to consider and assess innovative recycling technologies that could have enormous economic value in transforming waste plastics into the building blocks for new, higher-value products.
Minerals and Materials for Energy: We Need to Change Thinking
Michelle Michot Foss
January 22, 2021
As a nation, we need to immediately focus on the availability of advanced materials that can drive the performance of both legacy and alternative energy fuels and systems and ensure sustainable footprints. This brief lays out why it is vital to do so.
Electric Vehicles: A Small Window for Safety and Stability, A Large Arena for Research
Rachel A. Meidl
January 21, 2021
Although on the surface electric vehicles have lower safety risks than cars with internal combustion engines, the introduction of lithium ion batteries into the equation presents unresearched and unquantified hazards and consequences. This is why continued examination and incident analyses are important, writes energy fellow Rachel A. Meidl for the Baker Institute Blog.
Steel, Hydrogen and Renewables
Kenneth B. Medlock III
May 15, 2020
Iron and steel production are necessary for modern infrastructure, and the sector is both energy intensive and difficult to decarbonize. The authors explore new, evolving processes that could change this and potentially provide both environmental and economic benefits. Baker Institute Blog: https://bit.ly/2WYktsC
Measuring the True Cost of Sustainability: A Case Study in a Green Energy Approach
Rachel A. Meidl
April 28, 2020
The authors present a case study that considers the technological merits of methane pyrolysis while also addressing real-world implications including health and safety risks and commercial risks for introducing new carbon supply chains.
This issue brief is a preliminary paper introducing forthcoming research that will be expounded upon in future publications.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25613/7tvg-6k39
Ford vs. Tesla: Scale Matters
Gabriel Collins
February 14, 2020
Comparing Tesla's market penetration to incumbent automakers raises questions about scale for both Tesla and the electric vehicle sector at large, writes energy fellow Gabriel Collins.
China's Rare Earth Dominance: How Usable a Weapon?
Gabriel Collins
June 12, 2019
As Washington and Beijing brace for a protracted trade war, the authors examine the potential for China to use its dominance in rare earth minerals to strike back at the U.S.
CES Focus on Energy & Minerals
Michelle Michot Foss
April 24, 2019
A new Center for Energy Studies initiative improves understanding of minerals resource development, opportunities and constraints, and their effect on energy markets and geopolitics.
Cost of Replacing Fossil Fuels
Peter Hartley
October 26, 2017
Texas' ERCOT ISO is used as a model for examining the costs of replacing fossil fuels by wind generation and storage, and for comparing wind power with generation based on nuclear and storage.
Asian Spot Prices for LNG and Other Energy Commodities
Peter Hartley
November 03, 2015
This research paper investigates the relationship between the Japan-Korea Marker (JKM) price of LNG, the price of Brent oil, and spot prices of fuel oil and thermal coal imported into Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan.
The Mining Boom in Latin America: Rents, Development and Democracy
Francisco J. Monaldi
January 01, 2014
Latin America has witnessed an unprecedented natural resource boom in the last decade. However, the macroeconomic and social achievements cannot hide the significant challenges and some negative effects of the mining boom, including the so-called resource curse.
