ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories and Tsinghua University in China have signed an agreement that will focus research on global understanding and technical solutions for low-carbon energy alternatives.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlines the intention to develop cooperative research activities including exchanging technical information and data, developing physics models and computer codes, and conducting experimental studies for use in validating codes and physical models relevant to low-carbon energy technologies.
Rick Stulen, Sandia vice president for Science and Technology and Research Foundations, said Sandia will identify key research topics that will be important to DOE and China. The emphasis is on fundamental science and technology and will help Sandia’s STE SMU connect internationally.
“This MOU provides Sandia with the opportunity to connect with perhaps the most prestigious university in China in fundamental research areas related to climate, energy and water,” Stulen said. “We look forward to identifying a few focus areas for joint research collaboration and will begin this process soon.”
Specifically, Sandia and Tsinghua University seek to establish mutually beneficial cooperative research efforts in biofuels supply chain analysis, renewable energy and alternative transportation fuels research and development, modeling and systems analysis of energy resources, interdependency between water sustainability and energy generation and climate change modeling.
Art Pontau, Sandia deputy director for Combustion and Industrial Technologies, Transportation Energy, said one of Sandia’s motivations to work with Tsinghua is that the university has established the China Automotive Energy Research Center (CAERC) as part of its Low-Carbon Energy Laboratory.
Pontau said Sandia is exploring opportunities to partner with General Motors and CAERC researchers to study clean transportation energy options for China.
“The work is part of Sandia’s growing global transportation energy engagement,” he said.
Sandia has had discussions with researchers at Tsinghua about modeling capabilities related to biofuels.
The discussions were about U.S. models that could be adapted to meet the needs of Chinese researchers. The development of these cooperative efforts may be subject to higher-level agreements between the U.S. and Chinese governments.