Four University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) faculty members and an academic and research program officer are the recipients of Carbon Neutrality Acceleration Program (CNAP) awards from the U-M Graham Sustainability Institute: Jon Allan, Michael Craig, Marc Gaden, Drew Gronewald and Parth Vaishnav.

CNAP awarded more than $1 million in funding for six new faculty research projects this year. The multi-year, multimillion-dollar program seeks projects that aim to tackle a range of carbon neutrality topics that address six critical technological and social decarbonization opportunities: energy storage; capturing, converting, and storing carbon; changing public opinion and behavior; ensuring an equitable and inclusive transition; material and process innovation; and transportation and alternative fuels.

The SEAS-affiliated projects are:

Assessment of pumped hydro energy storage potential throughout the Great Lakes
Jeremy Bricker, Civil and Environmental Engineering (PI); Drew Gronewold, Jon Allan, and Marc Gaden, SEAS; Travis Brenden, Michigan State University

Advancing just and equitable decarbonization by quantifying future residential electricity demand and household energy burdens under decarbonization pathways and climate change
Michael Craig, SEAS and Industrial and Operations Engineering (PI); Parth Vaishnav, SEAS; Allison Steiner, Climate and Space Sciences; Missy Stults, City of Ann Arbor

Estimating and monetizing the health benefits of improving household energy efficiency in Michigan
Carina Gronlund, Institute for Social Research (PI); Parth Vaishnav, SEAS

Anti-frost coatings to improve heat pump efficiency and adoption in cold climates
Anish Tuteja, Macromolecular Science and Engineering (PI); Parth Vaishnav, SEAS

Demonstrating the value of wet organic waste for carbon neutrality (WOW for carbon neutrality!)
Margaret Wooldridge, Mechanical Engineering (PI); Michael Craig, SEAS and Industrial and Operations Engineering; Tony Kolenic, Matthaei; Andrew Mansfield, Eastern Michigan University; Nanta Sophonrat, Mechanical Engineering

Read the full press release and project descriptions here.