DATE: September 25th, 2026 || 10:30am
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Clean energy transitions in many jurisdictions involve dramatic increases in shares of variable wind and solar power in their electricity grids, supplemented by clean firm power to provide reliability. To plan a resilient, clean energy future, we will need to account for natural resource constraints as we develop and deploy new technologies. To address this aim, professor Dowling will blend perspectives from energy system modeling, earth science, and energy economics.
Dr. Dowling will discuss work that incorporates multi-decadal wind and solar weather data into energy system models, showing that it is critical to incorporate this variability for evaluating seasonal and interannual benefits of energy storage. Long-duration energy storage can make reliable wind-solar-battery electricity systems more affordable. Geologic hydrogen storage, metal-air batteries, and thermal energy storage that repurpose retired coal plant generators or idle oil well infrastructure are all promising examples. In a separate stream of work, she will discuss research on data center waste heat integration into thermal energy networks.
Building on this body of work, research in the LEAP-Lab (Low-Carbon Energy Analysis and Planning Lab) will continue to analyze natural resource constraints of net-zero emissions energy systems, guide technology innovation, and evaluate repurposing legacy infrastructure for decarbonization solutions.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Jacqueline A. Dowling (Jackie) models energy systems to guide the global transition to clean energy. She is an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Iowa, where her research program analyzes natural resource constraints, guides technology innovation, and targets decarbonization solutions. Jackie integrates weather data into macro-energy system models to inform reliable infrastructure planning and technology development. Recent focus areas include long-duration energy storage and clean heat. Her dissertation combined techno-economic analysis with materials chemistry to assess the value of diverse energy storage and conversion technologies in wind- and solar-based electricity systems. Jackie earned a PhD in chemistry with a minor in environmental science and engineering from Caltech and was a Stanford Energy Postdoctoral Fellow. Her research on long-duration energy storage has been cited by major utilities and in decarbonization plans at the international, national, and state levels.