THE PERMIAN INTEGRATED ENERGY SYSTEM (PIES)

When we envision the future of energy, we tend to picture standalone, siloed systems: solar panels absorbing the desert sun, wind turbines spinning a hillside. We might even envision fusion reactors delivering boundless electricity and kicking off a new era of power plant construction.

These are all important aspects of an advanced energy future. But what is missed when energy sources operate alone—in siloes—is the benefit of synergy. And that’s one of the things we are striving for in the Permian Basin: the integration of energy systems both existing and new with a goal of capturing operating and cost efficiencies and maximizing the energy potential of multiple resources. Underpinning this approach is a belief that there is no singular version of the future of energy, no panacea. We’ll need all sorts of solutions.

This is the vision of the Permian Integrated Energy System, a flagship project of the Permian Energy Development Lab. Late last year, PEDL signed agreements with SolarCycle, a solar panel recycling company, and ER Operating Company—known colloquially as the Roosevelt firm—an oil and gas company expert in getting more out of old, depleting oil fields. These agreements set the stage to create an integrated energy system on a 320-acre plot of land owned by the Roosevelt Firm in Yoakum County, Texas.

When you think of the potential at this site, imagine solar arrays powering carbon capture from the air for permanent storage deep underground or for use in invigorating old and disused oil fields. Solar power and natural gas used to create hydrogen fuel for heavy industry and trucking. Solar-powered water treatment systems and cotton fields with solar panels that in turn help power carbon capture and hydrogen production.

The bottom line is this: with a diverse energy landscape that already includes oil and gas, wind and solar, and a high potential for hydrogen, no place is better suited to test and refine an integrated approach to providing the energy that we need than the Permian Basin.

At the Yoakum County site, PEDL teams will work to break down the barriers between various energy and other resource domains within the Permian Basin. Researchers will evaluate and demonstrate the viability of integrating oil and gas operations with clean energy technologies, including wind, solar, hydrogen and carbon capture and storage. This integrated model holds the promise of not only maximizing efficiency but also minimizing the environmental impact of energy production in the region and beyond.

In essence, PIES is not just a project; it's a pioneering effort to change the status quo of isolated energy systems. If successful, it will demonstrate the potential of integration in reshaping the future of energy.