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About
We don't have to choose between abundant energy today and a sustainable planet tomorrow. At the Trienens Institute, Northwestern is proving that each one can drive the other.
Our Mission
Demand for energy has never been greater, and that demand is driving investment in new energy technologies on a scale not seen in a century. Batteries, solar, advanced fission, fusion, enhanced geothermal, and new energy materials are all attracting capital. The Trienens Institute sees this moment as an opportunity, not a dilemma. We believe energy abundance and sustainability are complementary goals. Through world-class work in energy innovation, materials science, chemistry, and advanced engineering, Northwestern is showing that meeting near-term demand and protecting the planet in the long term reinforce each other.About the Trienens Institute
The world needs more energy, and it needs it now. That urgency has created a once-in-a-century opening: the market is pouring capital into better batteries, next-generation solar, advanced nuclear fission and fusion, enhanced geothermal, and the materials that make them possible. This is the best moment in generations to modernize the grid, lower power costs, and build a cleaner energy system all at once.
The Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy is built for this moment. Through our research, engagement, and education resources, we show how near-term abundant energy and a sustainable planet strengthen each other. Affordable, reliable energy creates the demand and investment that speed the transition, and sustainable technologies make that abundance last. Northwestern's world-class strengths in energy innovation, materials science, chemistry, and advanced engineering, brought together through the Trienens Institute, turn that conviction into discoveries, technologies, and partnerships that reach the market.