Cynthia Jacobson ’26, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Cynthia Jacobson ’26

Major

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Project Title

Negative Emissions from Bioenergy with CO₂ Capture, Transport and Storage (BECCS) Hubs

Presentation Link

View Cynthia's Presentation

Minor(s): Sustainable Energy, Theater & Music Theater

As the United States transitions from fossil fuels to sustainable energy, the use of optimization models becomes essential. Princeton’s ZERO Lab, the MIT Energy Initiative and NYU Tandon are collaborating to develop a multi-sector energy planning model called MACRO, which aims to optimize costs and apply CO₂ emissions constraints across multiple energy sectors. I worked with the Energy Systems Analysis Group to help created MACRO-Biomass, a bioenergy generation sector of the MACRO model. Bioenergy alone produces net-zero emissions, but when coupled with carbon capture and storage (CCS), it produces negative emissions. As a result, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is critical for future climate change mitigation scenarios. Building MACRO-Biomass enables the co-optimization of bioenergy generation, either with or without, alongside existing energy sectors in the United States. To develop MACRO-Biomass, I researched input data for 41 bioenergy conversion pathways and used cost analysis techniques, stoichiometry conversions and programming in Julia to create input files for MACRO. Equipping MACRO with a bioenergy sector will be critical for formulating cost-effective, energy-efficient and net-zero emissions policies. I look forward to continuing work on this project in the fall.