Clean energy workshop for ECRs: promote your work and prepare excellent research proposals
2 March 2020
![Clean energy workshop for ECRs](https://www.ucl.ac.uk/chemical-engineering/sites/chemical_engineering/files/styles/large_image/public/clean-energy-workshop-for-ecrs.jpg?itok=Mn921Hno)
Within the research project Science 4 Clean Energy, funded by the European Commission and coordinated by Prof. Alberto Striolo and Prof. Adrian Jones (UCL) as well as by Prof. Paolo Capuano (University of Salerno), specific attention has been given to the training and empowering of Early Career Researchers (ECRs) involved in R&D activities for the sub-surface geo-energy sector.
![Image of Clean Energy Workshop for ECRs presentations](https://www.ucl.ac.uk/chemical-engineering/sites/chemical_engineering/files/styles/small_image/public/clean-energy-workshop-for-ecrs-presentations.jpg?itok=q8nSnyLv)
“Best careers presentation I have attended - Would like to see the presenter again if she has more to give!
![Clean Energy Workshop for ECRs second session](https://www.ucl.ac.uk/chemical-engineering/sites/chemical_engineering/files/styles/medium_image/public/clean-energy-workshop-for-ecrs_image-3_1.jpg?itok=X2TiCbXT)
![Clean Energy Workshop for ECRs Brainstorming Group Activity](https://www.ucl.ac.uk/chemical-engineering/sites/chemical_engineering/files/styles/medium_image/public/clean-energy-workshop-for-ecrs-brain-storming-activity.jpg?itok=_2uLhNGn)
What proposals ideas did the ECRs pitched?
- Proposal 1 - Securing societal progress while reducing environmental impact: this group proposed a project called “Science for Clean Air”. Carbon mineralisation is a novel technology for the permanent storage of CO2. This group aimed to identify the most suitable CO2 injection locations for the initial deployment of the technology. This project idea is actually the continuity of S4CE.
- Proposal 2 - Public acceptance of geologic operations: this group developed an educational/dissemination project titled “Geo Education Objectives” (GEO), to create a protocol to educate the general public regarding the perception of risks related to operations concerning the exploitation of geo-energy resources.
- Proposal 3 - New technologies for the energy sector: this group proposed a project to develop a novel state-of-the-art machine learning algorithm to optimize site operations and minimize risks, leading to an increase in technologic and economic feasibility of subsurface operations.
- Proposal 4 - The life-energy-geology nexus: what opportunities lie ahead? The final proposal pitched tackled the clean extraction of rare earth elements from geothermal waste water by making the most of the already-existing processes in geothermal exploitation.
Members of the panel deliberated on the strengths and the winning team on “New technologies for the energy sector” gave an excellent presentation describing an ambitious, innovative and detailed project plan. The group of four ECRs was awarded the early bird registration to the Goldschmidt Conference 2020, which is part of S4CE dissemination activities!