Wyoming's wind energy potential is unsurpassed. How much of that potential will ultimately be developed remains to be seen. On this episode, we sit down with UW Mechanical Engineering professors Jonathan Naughton and Michael Stoellinger, co-directors of the Wind Energy Research Center, to discuss the true potential of Wyoming's abundant wind resources, as well as the economic development opportunities, technological advancements, and the challenges that still need to be addressed. Join ...

From coal mines to rare earths to a cutting-edge nuclear reactor, Wyoming has a rich energy history (and future). On this episode of Energy Frontier: The Wyoming Landscape, Dr. Holly Krutka sits down with Rita Meyer, a long-time Wyoming resident with a front-row seat to this evolution. They discuss Rita's remarkable career, her insights on the state's diverse energy landscape, and why Wyoming's unique blend of resources, expertise, and supportive environment makes it a prime location for ener...

This episode explores the cutting-edge world of coal-derived asphalt with experts Trina Pfeiffer, Director of the UW School of Energy Resources, Center for Carbon Capture and Conversion, and Dr. Jeramie Adams, Vice President at Western Research Institute. Discover how Wyoming, a state rich in coal resources, is leading the charge in developing sustainable and high-performance asphalt for our roads and infrastructure. Learn about the innovative processes, environmental benefits, economic poten...

Despite some recent increases, Wyoming continues to have low cost electricity compared to national averages – even as the state weighs different energy sources and innovative options like nuclear energy and carbon capture and storage. The current Chairman of the Wyoming Public Service Commission, Mary Throne, talks about her journey to serve on the Commission, how the Commission functions, and why she thinks Wyoming is the right place for energy innovation.

Artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, and other forms of digital innovation have become buzzwords, but these increasingly common terms underly powerful technologies that can be applied to the energy sector. In this episode, Dr. Krutka sits down with Dr. Soheil Saraji, the director of the newest center of excellence at the University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources – the center for Subsurface Energy and Digital Innovation, to discuss how these technologies work, why they...

As the least populated state in the nation, and a place where outdoor recreation is a way of life, Wyomingites deeply value wild lands and wildlife. Balancing energy production with Wyoming’s respect for the natural world requires diverse stakeholders to work together to find balance. Perhaps no organization is more emblematic of such collaboration than the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust, led by executive director Bob Budd. Mr. Budd sits down with Dr. Krutka to talk about the Tru...

It is often said that nuclear energy is experiencing a renaissance and Wyoming has the opportunity to play a significant role in several different areas of this dynamic industry. The Equality State’s first nuclear energy power plant is TerraPower’s NatriumTM demonstration facility, which is under construction in Kemmerer. Wyoming has the opportunity to leverage this first-of-a-kind plant to grow its nuclear energy sector to create jobs and economic development. In this episode, Dr. Krutka int...

Like most energy states, Wyoming has stranded infrastructure due to the boom and busts associated with energy production, including in the Powder River Basin where a coal bed methane industry has been decimated by a decade of low natural gas prices. An original UW School of Energy Resources center of excellence, the Center for Biogenic Natural Gas Research, was created to find ways to leverage that stranded infrastructure. Led by Dr. Michael Urynowicz, the Center invented a way to use the mic...

Eli Ellis is a researcher at the Center for Carbon Capture and Conversion at the School of Energy Resources. In this episode, Dr. Krutka and Mr. Ellis discuss his time as a student studying mechanical engineering at the University of Wyoming, why he wanted to stay in his home state of Wyoming, and why he is choosing to spend his early career as part of an SER team researching technologies that consume Wyoming coal for non-energy uses. Mr. Ellis specifically discusses his work on a process cal...

Cindy Crane is the CEO of PacifiCorp and the Chairwoman of SER’s governance board, the Energy Resources Council. In this episode, Dr. Krutka and Ms. Crane discuss her long and distinguished career in the electricity sector, the future of the utility sector, her time on the Energy Resources Council, and her approach to leadership.

Like other energy sources, Wyoming exports most of the electricity it produces into complicated electricity markets. Todd Snitchler is a nationally recognized expert on electricity issues, especially wholesale electricity markets, and joins the podcast to shed light on Wyoming's electricity consumers and markets generally. As the CEO of the Electric Power Supply Association, he represents companies that own competitive power generation assets and advocates for policies that focus on achieving...

Professor Todd Allen is the Chair of Nuclear Engineering & Radiological Sciences at the University of Michigan. After serving in the Navy, he earned a PhD in nuclear engineering and has spent his career working on issues related to the nuclear industry. In this episode, Dr. Allen and Dr. Krutka discuss his career, the important role of national labs, the development of advanced nuclear reactors, and his dedication to ensuring that the national and international discussion of nuclear energ...

Rob Creager is the Executive Director of the Wyoming Energy Authority, an entitiy with a mission is to advocate, facilitate, and advance Wyoming's energy economy. In an all-of-the above state, WEA covers the entire energy spectrum, including all sources of generation and extraction, distribution through transmission lines, pipelines and export facilities, as well as end use and consumption. In this episode, Mr. Creager and Dr. Krutka discuss WEA's porfolio of responsibilities, actions being t...

Jeff Merrifield is an attorney and partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, a law firm focusing on the technology and life sciences, energy, financial, real estate, and construction sectors. Jeff is a former Commissioner of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and leads the energy section at Pillsbury Wintrhop Shaw Pittman. He is widely recognized as an international thought leader on nuclear energy. In this episode, Dr. Krutka asks him about different types of nuclear energy, where th...

Representative Don Burkhart represented Wyoming House District 15 from 2011 through 2024. He has also served the state in various capacities, including serving as a member of the Energy Resources Council. His career included several different roles related to the nuclear sector. When Wyoming's first large-scale nuclear power plant was announced, Representative Burkhart's fellow legislators relied on his expertise and leadership to guide the state in key decisions. In this episode, Dr. Krutka ...

This episode features Austin Moon, a recent graduate of the School of Energy Resources, and Randall Violett, the inaugural director over the Energy and Environmental Systems concentration in SER's Energy Resource Management and Development undergraduate degree. The guests discuss the curriculum for this educational concentration as well as the career opportunities available to environmental scientists and consultants.

Wyoming is an oil and gas producing state with a significant proportion of Wyoming’s oil coming from enhanced oil recovery using injection of carbon dioxide and other improvement techniques. Dr. Reza Barati is an expert on techniques for enhanced oil recovery and today serves as the Don W. Green Professor of Petroleum Engineering and the Director of the Tertiary Oil Recovery Program at the University of Kansas. Previously Professor Barati was at Wyoming’s own Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute a...

Christi Barry is a University of Wyoming alum who studied geology for her undergraduate degree and then continued her graduate studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where she studied volcanic and tectonic activity in the region. Ms. Barry has now devoted much of her career to the development of a proposed spent nuclear fuel repository at Yucca Mountain. On the podcast, she discusses her time at UW, how her education prepared her for her career, and how her professional background has...

As a top natural gas producing state, Wyoming has led in collaboration between academia, industry, and government to identify new ways to detect and curb methane emissions. Success in reducing methane emissions has changed Wyoming's natural gas production and has allowed production to continue despite mounting regulatory requirements on greenhouse gas emissions. This episode features Dr. Shane Murphy, the Director of the Center of Excellence in Air Quality at the UW School of Energy Resources...

The development of oil and natural gas results in large amounts of produced water. Wyoming is identifying ways to treat, reuse, and benefit from water produced from oil and natural gas development. This episode features Dr. Jonathan Brant, Director of the Center of Excellence in Produced Water Management at the UW School of Energy Resources. Professor Brant shares the many ways collaboration with others is helping advance water treatment technologies in Wyoming and beyond.