Climate Vault Launches RFP Round for Innovative Carbon Dioxide Removal Projects

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Ellen Williams Joins Climate Vault's Technology Experts Chamber to Help Evaluate Innovative CDR Projects

CHICAGO – The Climate Vault, Inc. nonprofit today announced the appointment of Dr. Ellen D. Williams to its Technology Experts Chamber (“Tech Chamber”). The panel of world-leading experts, led by former U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, is driving the next wave of innovative carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies that will accelerate global carbon removal solutions. Dr. Williams, a globally recognized leader at the nexus of energy technology and policy, brings over 40 years of expertise to support Climate Vault’s mission of verifiably reducing and removing carbon emissions from the atmosphere.

“The rapid pace of climate change demands urgent action, and CDR will be central to achieving net-zero emissions and eventually moving us toward a net-negative future,” said Secretary Moniz. “Ellen brings deep expertise in energy technology and policy, and I am thrilled that she will join Climate Vault’s Tech Chamber as we drive scale for innovative CDR solutions. We worked closely together during her time at ARPA-E – both before and after as well – and I know firsthand the impact of her leadership and vision.”

Climate Vault works to accelerate the deployment of CDR strategies by scaling innovative technologies that can reverse the worst effects of climate change. Through Climate Vault’s RFP for Innovative CDR Projects, the Tech Chamber provides standards guidance that helps Climate Vault select cutting-edge CDR companies to receive its CDR Innovation Award. The award recognizes CDR solutions that demonstrate significant potential for scaling and impact that also align with the Tech Chamber’s rigorous standards for environmental and scientific integrity.

“Ellen is a rock star that fits in perfectly among the other rock stars on the Tech Chamber,” said Michael Greenstone, Co-Founder of Climate Vault and the Milton Friedman Distinguished Service Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago. “She has made remarkable contributions at the intersection of energy technology and climate policy, from her pioneering work in nanotechnology to leading efforts to accelerate energy innovation. Her extensive accolades and leadership across academia and government speak to her global influence. She is an ideal addition to the Tech Chamber, and her expertise will be invaluable to helping us advance high-quality carbon removal solutions.”

Throughout her career, Dr. Williams has held influential roles in academia, government, and the private sector. During her time at the University of Maryland, she established a pioneering research program in experimental surface science, exploring fundamental issues in statistical mechanics and nanotechnology. Dr. Williams also founded the University of Maryland Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, where she served as Director from 1996-2009. Notably, she has also served as Chief Scientist for British Petroleum (BP) from 2010 to 2014, and as Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) from 2014 to 2017 under former U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz. As Director of ARPA-E, she led efforts to advance high-potential, high-impact energy technologies. 

“I am excited to join Climate Vault’s Tech Chamber and collaborate with such a distinguished group of leaders in the climate and technology space,” said Dr. Williams. “Throughout my career, I’ve worked to advance pioneering solutions that can make a real impact on climate change. I’m eager to contribute to Climate Vault’s mission and help drive the development of solutions that will make a lasting difference.”

Climate Vault has currently “vaulted” over 1.2 million metric tons of CO2 allowances from compliance markets with the support of more than 50 institutional partners and individual donors. These vaulted allowances have reduced the expected damages from climate change by more than $285 million, based on the United States Government’s social cost of carbon. These immediate carbon reductions will ultimately be transitioned into permanent removals as part of Climate Vault’s first-of-its-kind integrated carbon reduction and removal program.

Earlier this year, Climate Vault recognized two outstanding project developers—Carbon Lockdown and Octavia Carbon—with the 2023 CDR Innovation Award. This was the first time the Tech Chamber’s rigorous standards for CDR solutions have been met. Together their approved CDR projects have the potential to capture up to 15,000 metric tons of CO2. 

Climate Vault is currently preparing to launch its third round of the RFP program with the Tech Chamber’s support in November of this year. Interested applicants can sign-up now for first access to the RFP once it becomes available.

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About Climate Vault, Inc.

Founded at the University of Chicago, Climate Vault pioneered the world’s first integrated carbon reduction and removal program in order to knock out carbon in days, not decades. Its solution neutralizes organizations’ carbon footprints through government-regulated markets, so the impact is verifiable, auditable, and quantifiable. Climate Vault’s innovative methodology ultimately advances cutting-edge carbon removal technologies to take emissions out of the atmosphere for good and make an immediate, enduring difference for the planet. Learn more at www.climatevault.org.