Reposting this happy news as I'm connected to many Senior Design Judges, former students, and former TAs here. Some of you may remember Capwell - a proof of concept methane capture system/process a team of 5 intrepid mechanical engineers within Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania successfully demonstrated during Design Day in May 2022. The system provides a solution to reduce the global warming impact of methane emitted from the million+ orphaned oil/gas wells throughout the US (and many more globally) by up to 80X. It also holds significant promise as a short- to medium-term abatement solution in the modern well decommissioning toolkit. The potential market is large. The acceleration of the Capwell Services solution since Design Day has been impressive. The effort continued development in co-founder Andrew Lane's garage (2022), progressed to successful field testing (2022), received important seed funding (2023), developed into a partnership with Greentown Labs near the center of "energy action" in the US (2023), and just won ISO certification support via the DOE Office of Technology Transitions (2024). This latest support for certification is an incredibly important step as Capwell prepares their technology for commercial scale deployment. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been a technical advisor/sounding board to the team throughout the process. It has been a real education about the many hats engineers have to wear when transitioning from proof-of-concept to commercialization and deployment. Co-founders Andrew Lane and Lucien Peach have done a remarkable job of navigating the financial, safety/regulatory, IP, and technical aspects of their business and calling in experts and advisors when needed. It's a great reminder that engineering for commercialization and deployment is much more than just the technical! Moreover, Capwell's story highlights the threads of social and environmental consciousness that run deeply throughout the work happening within the undergraduate engineering programs Penn Engineering and more broadly. So many of you choose to treat important and impactful problems during your undergraduate education. Equally as many go on to contribute to important social and environmental solutions in your careers. It provides me with real faith for a brighter future and reminds me that we will find solutions to problems that were not of your making. I'm so incredibly proud of all of your work on these fronts!
Capwell is proud to announce that we have been selected for the DOE's Voucher Program to receive support in commercializing our Capwell Methane Abatement Units! The DOE Office of Technology Transitions (OTT), in collaboration with the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) and ENERGYWERX, is utilizing $10M from the landmark Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to match recipients with providers who will help accelerate market adoption of new clean energy technologies. We are honored to be selected for this opportunity and are excited to work with provider 350Solutions for our field validation and certification activities. #doe #cleanenergy #methane https://lnkd.in/gGd8bR5f
Lucien Peach
7mo
Graham, thank you so much for the kind words! It is a great privilege to be able to meet with you on a regular basis as we continue to address the challenges that arise on our journey of bringing this methane abatement unit to market.
Cristina Sorice
7mo
This is amazing. Congrats to your students! And an incredible testament to your teaching and encouragement. What you did to revamp senior design is so meaningful!!!
ManyMangoes 🥭
7mo
The journey of Capwell and its team is a testament to the incredible potential within our reach when we dare to innovate for the greater good. “Innovation is seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.” Your efforts are not only commendable but are paving the way for a brighter, more sustainable future for all. Keep shining and making impactful strides in the engineering world!
So proud of you and your students! With great education comes great outcomes. You have a unique "infectious" passion that is evident in so many of the teams you lead. Cannot wait to see what is next in store for Capwell.
Founder at Capwell
7moIt has been an amazing experience to work with you Graham. Your insights and support have really helped us turn our concept into a reality. We wouldn’t be where we are today without you!