Ellen B. Stechel

Hydrogen is an emerging industry with significant potential to deliver economic opportunity from wealth creation and jobs, fuel security, and environmental benefits to many regions in the world. The International Energy Agency estimates that the global market for hydrogen will reach $215 billion by 2022. Australia has committed to investing heavily in making hydrogen a significant part of their energy future. In this presentation, we will discuss multiple opportunities for the use of hydrogen as well as a range of products, including those for a “new carbon economy”—carbon-based products that are fossil-carbon-free and hence net neutral on carbon dioxide emissions and potentially net negative. This presentation will also highlight the importance of net negative to achieving the Paris objective of keeping global warming well below 2^oC.

Ellen B. Stechel is Co-Director of ASU LightWorks^®, Professor of Practice in the School of Molecular Sciences, and Senior Sustainability Scientist at Arizona State University with a primary focus on sustainable fuels and products. Her career has afforded her opportunities to build and/or coordinate programs in both basic and applied research; policy and commercialization of emerging technologies; and in multi-disciplinary R&D strategy and management. She is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society. She has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles. Her current research focuses on materials and systems design for concentrating solar technologies to produce sustainable liquid hydrocarbons from carbon dioxide, hydrogen from advanced water splitting, renewable ammonia, thermochemical energy storage, and clean water.

Cosponsored by EWC Research Program and the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University.