Exxon Mobil, Princeton Energy Center Renew Collaboration to Advance Low-carbon Energy Solutions

Exxon Mobil and Princeton University’s Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment have renewed their collaboration to research lower-emission technologies and energy solutions, the company said on July 2.

The new, five-year agreement builds on Exxon Mobil’s participation in Princeton’s E-filliates partnership, which began in 2015. E-filliates is a corporate membership program administered by the Andlinger Center and aims to help accelerate research, development and deployment of energy and environmental technologies through academia and industry partnerships.

Exxon Mobil is the world-leader in carbon capture, sequestering more carbon in the last 20 years than any other company. Princeton University is advancing this technology with new research to better understand how stored CO2 flows within rocks and interacts with minerals, improving the understanding of underground storage capacity. Future CO2 storage projects can be more optimally planned and operated to achieve net emissions reductions.

Princeton University scientists are also working with Exxon Mobil on the development of carbonate fuel cells. This is in addition to the company’s ongoing collaboration with FuelCell Energy to enhance technology for capturing CO2 from industrial facilities and electric power generation.

Over the past five years, through the company’s participation in E-ffiliates, Exxon Mobil scientists have collaborated with Princeton faculty and researchers to support early-stage research projects that are focused on identifying lower-emission technologies that can accelerate the energy transition.

Princeton University researchers also are working to better understand the barriers, technology needs and opportunities of the global energy transition. This research is taking a comprehensive look at potential pathways to achieve net-zero emissions in the United States by 2050, and the investments in technology, infrastructure, and skill development to achieve that goal. The fundamental approach and modeling tools developed in this pilot study will be available for global use. The effort is co-led by the Andlinger Center, along with other campus partners, and funded in part by ExxonMobil and other partners.

Princeton’s Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment is one of five university energy centers ExxonMobil has partnered with to undertake fundamental research to provide low-carbon energy solutions while meeting global energy demand.

Since 2000, Exxon Mobil has invested approximately $10 billion in projects to research, develop and deploy lower-emission energy solutions. The company also continues to expand collaborative efforts with more than 80 universities, five energy centers and multiple private sector partners around the world to explore next-generation energy technologies.