CORE R&D
Core R&D is driven by industry's technology needs and segregates those needs into focus areas to more efficiently obtain solutions that can then be tested and deployed in the field.  The Core R&D Element contains four focus areas for applied research and carbon storage technology development: (1) Geologic Storage, (2) Monitoring, Verification, and Accounting (MVA), (3) Simulation and Risk Assessment, and (4) CO₂ Utilization.

INFRASTRUCTURE
The Infrastructure Element of DOE's Carbon Storage Program is focused on research and development (R&D) initiatives to advance geologic CO₂ storage toward commercialization. The Infrastructure Element includes crosscutting projects from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) that provided funding for projects that complement the existing Carbon Storage Program's efforts to develop CCS infrastructure in the United States. The following provides a summary of all of the Infrastructure Elements:

• Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships (RCSPs) efforts
• Geologic Characterization efforts (RCSP, ARRA, and NATCARB)
• Other Large- and Small-Volume Field Tests where validation of various carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology options and their efficacy are being confirmed
• Knowledge Sharing as a means to distribute information and CCS lessons learned to provide the foundation for future, large-scale CCS field tests across North America and address future challenges associated with public acceptance, infrastructure, and an acceptable regulatory framework.

GLOBAL COLLABORATIONS
The Global Collaborations Element of the Carbon Storage Program tests new technologies and benefits from specific solutions developed in the Core R&D and Infrastructure elements. In turn, data gaps and lessons learned from the Infrastructure Element's small- and large-scale field demonstrations are fed back to the Core R&D Element of the program to guide future research, International Demonstration projects, and RCSP field projects. Global Collaborations include ongoing partnerships with numerous global organizations to leverage U.S. expertise and include:

• International Demonstration projects - a DOE effort that enters into partnerships with many international organizations to advance research in carbon storage.
• Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum - a voluntary climate initiative of industrially developed and developing nations that account for about 77 percent of all manmade carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.
• Worldwide CCS Projects Database - a database that includes active, proposed, canceled, and terminated CCS projects worldwide.
• North American Carbon Atlas Partnership - a joint CO₂ mapping initiative between Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
• U.S.- China Clean Energy Research Center - a collaboration between the United States and China to facilitate joint research and development to accelerate clean energy technologies.

These collaborations benefit U.S. efforts to develop technologies and tools to meet the strategic goals of NETL's Storage Program.

The Carbon Storage Program also supports the development of best practices for CCS that will benefit projects implementing CCS on a commercial scale, such as in the Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI) and Industrial Carbon Sequestration Programs. In general, DOE-applied research is being leveraged with both field and laboratory testing to assess the technical and economic viability of CCS as a greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation option. DOE has established the following plan to ensure that the goal of developing these technologies is met:

• Manage Core R&D activities within specific focus areas where challenges are identified and investigated further to develop essential technologies.
• Utilize the RCSP Initiative to develop future infrastructure, as well as validate and field test technologies through all stages leading to commercialization.
• Collaborate with global partnerships and leadership forums by providing technology solutions and receiving test results from global initiatives and international demonstration projects.
• Engage a wide variety of industry; Federal, state, and local government agencies; academia; and environmental organizations.
• Work with NETL's Office of Program Planning and Analyses (OPPA) to determine the benefits of research and establish a systems approach to confirm that technologies are capable of meeting Carbon Storage Program goals.