Sources and Sinks

A Newsletter from Carbon Solutions

December 2024

2024 in Review: Letter From the CEO

“It has been a fantastic and rewarding year for Carbon Solutions, filled with many special moments and growth across people, projects, and software. I am delighted to have seen the ten staff and students arriving at the company during 2024. I am exceptionally proud of our team winning around two dozen proposals this year, ensuring that 2025 will be another exciting year. This includes Carbon Solutions leading four new major US DOE projects including two CarbonSAFE projects in Nebraska and Texas, a CO₂ Transportation FEED study in MT-ND-WY, and a Carbon Management Initiative in the Columbia River Basalt in the US Northwest. And our software is continuing to grow with each and every project.

Perhaps the highlight of the year was our annual in-person meeting in Estes Park, Colorado, where we took time to focus on team building, professional development, and business planning. Another highlight was the company rolling out our Vision—Solutions for a Net-zero Carbon Economy—alongside our five core values: we are Intentional, Passionate, Innovative, Collaborative, and Cross-cutting.

Next year is promising to be another productive year working and partnering with industry, academia, national labs, non-profits, and academia. January will be our four-year anniversary! I cannot wait to see where the fantastic people at Carbon Solutions will take us next year.” – Richard Middleton, CEO

Catalyzing Progress: Transformative Projects in Carbon Management

This year, Carbon Solutions made significant strides in advancing carbon management, securing funding for transformative initiatives and breaking new ground in carbon storage, methane detection, and regional decarbonization. Notable highlights include the LOCAETA Project and SCO₂TPRO Project, which both achieved Phase II funding from DOE’s SBIR/STTR programs in June, furthering research in air quality improvements and CO₂ storage mapping. In September, the MethaneDART Project launched with NOAA Phase I support, introducing real-time methane emissions detection technology.

Regional collaboration was a key focus with groundbreaking efforts like the Trail of the Chiefs, uniting tribal energy opportunities and open-access CO₂ pipelines across Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming. The Pineywoods CarbonSAFE Project aims to provide a sustainable carbon management solution for businesses in Southeast Texas, while SIMBa CarbonSAFE  explores basalt storage pathways in the Midcontinent region. Other advancements include the DOE Voucher for CO₂ Storage in Mafic Formations and the CaRBTAP Partnership, which integrate cutting-edge technology for basalt-based carbon storage. Finally, the Uinta Basin CarbonSAFE Phase II Project set out to assess large-scale CO₂ storage feasibility in Utah’s Uinta Basin, further reinforcing Carbon Solutions’ leadership in sustainable carbon management.

With each of these projects, we continue to shape the path toward a decarbonized future, driving impactful solutions that benefit both industries and communities alike.

Engaging Communities and Innovators: Highlights from 2024 Events

Carbon Solutions had an impactful 2024, attending over a dozen key events advancing carbon management and energy innovation. From presenting studies on CO₂ plume geothermal potential at Stanford’s Geothermal Workshop to discussing equitable decarbonization at Massachusetts ClimaTech, Carbon Solutions has contributed to global and regional dialogues. Highlights include participating in the Holocene DAC Facility launch with project partners, sharing SimCCS research at INFORMS in Medellín, and engaging with Wyoming communities at the Ethete Powwow and Western Planner Conference.

Through events like the Wyoming Energy Summit and FECM/NETL meetings, Carbon Solutions explored energy challenges and solutions, including community benefits, policy, and infrastructure for CCUS.

Leading the Charge: Key Publications in Carbon Management and Equity

From optimizing carbon capture networks to exploring environmental justice implications, Carbon Solutions publications this year reflect a relentless pursuit of knowledge and impact. Highlights include Erin Middleton and her team’s National Industrial Sector Decarbonization, which mapped scalable solutions for industrial decarbonization, and Finding New Opportunities for Carbon Capture with CO₂NCORD, where Kat Sale and colleagues unveiled innovative tools for identifying carbon capture opportunities. Jeff Bennett further enriched the conversation with his presentation at the Houston CCUS Conference on cost-effective decarbonization strategies. 

Our research also bridged carbon solutions and societal well-being. Amy Jordan’s Quantifying Air Quality Co-Benefits to Industrial Decarbonization demonstrated how decarbonization efforts improve local air quality, while Qasim Mehdi’s Assessing the Environmental Justice Implications of Decarbonizing the US Electric Grid examined health equity across race and income lines. Closing the year, Juan Duque’s SimCCS-H2 advanced the understanding of hydrogen and CO₂ infrastructure optimization. 

A Look Back at Carbon Solutions’ 2024 Webinar Series

Sharing knowledge and driving progress, Carbon Solutions’ 2024 webinar series brought together experts and stakeholders to tackle critical challenges in carbon management and energy innovation. Beginning with January’s CCS Infrastructure Webinar, which explored co-locating storage with CO₂-enhanced oil recovery sites, and February’s LOCAETA Air Quality Webinar on the air quality benefits of decarbonization technologies, our sessions tackled some of the most pressing topics in the field. March’s CO₂NCORD Tool Webinar introduced a groundbreaking tool for retrofitting cost assessments, while April’s NECTAR Webinar provided decision-making resources for DAC siting and feasibility.

Mid-year, we turned our focus to industrial decarbonization during the Decarbonizing the Industrial Sector Webinar in May and explored land management’s role in energy projects with June’s Role of Landmen Webinar. August’s CO₂ Pipeline Routing Webinar addressed the intricacies of routing, followed by October’s Strategic Community Engagement for DAC, which highlighted best practices for technology developers. Closing the series, November’s CO₂ on the Move examined the future of CO₂ transportation. If you missed any sessions, recordings are available through the provided link below.

Good Reads…

• DOE Invests $6 Million to Design an Onshore/Offshore Carbon Dioxide Transport System | Department of Energy

• Carbon Capture: Questions About Deploying Climate Technology Answered – Bloomberg

• Farm fields don’t just feed us. They store carbon. But a big question is how much | AP News

• DOE Partners with Federal Agencies and Industry on Action Plans for Energy and Emissions Innovation Across U.S. Transportation Sectors | Department of Energy