What Permian Energy Development Lab does

Permian Energy Development Lab (PEDL) is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 2023 and headquartered in Midland, Texas, serving the 66-county Permian Basin region spanning Eastern New Mexico and West Texas—an area that produces roughly 40% of U.S. crude oil and 15% of U.S. natural gas. Founded and incubated by the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation under Marilu Hastings, PEDL operates as a two-state consortium (New Mexico and Texas) bringing together seven universities (UT Austin, UT Permian Basin, UT El Paso, NMSU, NMT, Midland College, Odessa College), two national laboratories (Sandia and NREL), and energy industry partners to advance clean-energy systems while preserving economic vitality in energy-producing communities. Its work is organized around three pillars: advanced energy research, education and workforce development, and community development.

The organization's flagship technical asset is the Permian Integrated Energy System (PIES), a 320-acre demonstration site in Yoakum County, Texas, designed to co-locate solar, wind, hydrogen production, carbon capture and storage, produced water treatment, geothermal, and agrivoltaics within existing oil and gas infrastructure to capture integration efficiencies. The November 2025 Trinity Campus launch adds a Direct Air Capture and storage testbed on the PIES site (in partnership with Return Carbon and Roosevelt Resources) with an initial target of 10,000 tons CO2/year scaling to 100,000–500,000 tons/year. PEDL also publishes interactive geospatial maps overlaying energy infrastructure with socioeconomic data across the basin, the Community Archetypes research report segmenting the region into seven community types, and an Agrivoltaics Research Network.

PEDL has no commercial product and generates revenue through three streams: federal grants anchored by a $1 million NSF Engines Development Award (stepping toward a potential ten-year, $160 million NSF investment), tax-deductible public donations (tiered at $100, $500, $1,000 and custom amounts), and in-kind partner contributions (land, equipment, and technical expertise from partners such as Roosevelt Resources, SOLARCYCLE, Baker Hughes, Sandia, NREL, and the consortium universities). The go-to-market model is coalition-based—pairing community listening tours with industry, academic, and government convenings rather than direct sales.

Name

Permian Energy Development Lab

Legal name

Permian Energy Development Lab

Website

https://pedl.tech

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Permian Energy Development Lab (PEDL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit consortium advancing integrated clean-energy systems across the 66-county Permian Basin, anchored by a 320-acre demonstration site in Yoakum County, Texas, and funded by NSF grants, donations, and partner contributions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advanced Energy Research

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Support Activities for Mining (2131), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Oil & Gas Field Exploration Services (1382)

akta.pro primary industry

Regenerative Agriculture & Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) (EUABABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civil & Site Works EPC (Earthworks, Roads, Drainage, Foundations) (EUAEADAA), Geothermal Power Plant EPC (EUAEAAAE)

Keywords

• Advanced energy research
• Direct air capture
• Carbon capture storage
• Agrivoltaics research
• Workforce development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Midland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) public charity, PEDL accepts tax-deductible donations from individuals, companies, and organizations. The website shows donation options of $1,000, $500, $100, and custom amounts with one-time, weekly, or monthly giving options.
2. National Science Foundation Grant: PEDL received a $1 million NSF grant covering a two-year period as the first step toward a potential ten-year, $160 million NSF Engines investment. This grant funds research, entrepreneurship and job creation initiatives.
3. Partnership Contributions: Various partners provide land assets (Roosevelt Resources providing 320 acres), expertise, and in-kind contributions to support PEDL's initiatives. Partners include companies like Baker Hughes, SOLARCYCLE, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Permian Energy Development Lab is a nonprofit research and community coalition that operates a 320-acre Permian Integrated Energy System (PIES) demonstration site in the Permian Basin to advance carbon capture, hydrogen, geothermal, agrivoltaics, and direct air capture technologies. Through its three pillars — advanced energy research, education and workforce development, and community development — the organization co-locates pilot and demonstration projects with academic and industry partners, runs workforce training programs, and convenes Permian Basin communities around data-driven research tools such as geospatial resource and socioeconomic maps.

Product overview

Permian Energy Development Lab is a two-state (New Mexico and Texas) 501(c)(3) nonprofit consortium organized around three pillars: advanced energy research, education and workforce development, and community development. The core product is the Permian Integrated Energy System (PIES), a flagship initiative integrating renewables, carbon removal, water reuse, and advanced energy technologies on a 320-acre site. Key projects include the Trinity Campus (Direct Air Capture testbed), Geospatial Maps (resource and socioeconomic analytical tools), the Agrivoltaics Initiative, and the Community Archetypes research publication. Supporting programs include Education & Workforce Development and Community Development services. The organization does not offer a commercial product but rather serves as a research coalition and innovation accelerator.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PIES (Permian Integrated Energy System): A flagship project of PEDL centered on a 320-acre site in Yoakum County, Texas, designed to integrate renewables, carbon removal, water reuse, and other advanced energy technologies into a unified system.

Products and services

• Permian Integrated Energy System (PIES) Initiative

Quantifiable outcome

• Trinity Campus will capture approximately 10,000 tons of CO2 per year during initial phase, scaling to 100,000-500,000 tons annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting, founding/incubating and founding.

• Return CarboncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 November 2025Leading project development and investment company in carbon markets, collaborating on Trinity Campus DAC and carbon storage testbed. Martijn Verwoerd serves as Managing Director. Partnership designed to validate emerging DAC technologies under real-world field conditions.
• Roosevelt ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 November 2025Energy producer with long history in the Permian, providing 320-acre site for PIES and advancing enhanced oil recovery and carbon sequestration. Elliott 'Tony' Roosevelt Jr. leads the firm. Initial storage pathway for captured CO2.
• Baker HughescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2024Fortune 500 energy technology company (Nasdaq: BKR) with over a century of experience. Ross Mitchell serves as VP of North America Land. Collaboration focuses on identifying opportunities to leverage Permian Basin's global center status.
• Agile Energy XsupportingTechnology or Integration · 5 August 2024Japanese technology firm subsidiary of TEPCO Power Grid, Japan's largest electric utility. CEO Kenji Tateiwa leads the company. Focus on flexible energy demand systems and closed-loop energy combining distributed computing and direct air capture with renewables.
• CleanCo EnergiesupportingTechnology or Integration · 8 July 2024Provides expertise in crop agrivoltaics and regenerative agriculture. Supports combining solar power generation with agricultural production and solar microgrid development.
• EarthBridge EnergysupportingTechnology or Integration · 8 July 2024Developing GeoBattery technology - grid-scale long-duration energy storage solution using underground reservoirs to store clean energy at reduced cost.
• Melzer ConsultingsupportingTechnology or Integration · 8 July 202440-year-old geotechnical consultancy run by Steve Melzer. Provides expertise in geological reservoir characterization for advanced energy opportunities in the Permian Basin.
• Omnia Midstream PartnerssupportingTechnology or Integration · 8 July 2024Working on sustainable solutions across the energy value chain including solar integration, helium recovery, traditional midstream operations and CO2 sequestration.
• Composite RecyclingsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2024Swiss startup developing processes for recycling composite materials like glass fiber reinforced plastics from wind turbine blades. Partnership aims to create regional circular economy for composite materials.
• TeverracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2024Technology-focused energy company working on geothermal energy, carbon storage, energy storage and cleaner oil/gas solutions. Hamed Soroush serves as Founder and CEO. Focus areas include subsurface energy storage, geothermal assessment, and CCUS.
• SOLARCYCLEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 February 2024Solar panel recycling company providing panels for PIES site. CEO Suvi Sharma leads the company. Panels extend solar cell use and power produced water treatment, hydrogen production and agrivoltaics.
• The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundationfounding/incubatingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2023Launched and continues to incubate PEDL. Led by Executive Vice President Marilu Hastings, the foundation provides strategic direction and has been instrumental in founding the consortium. George Mitchell pioneered hydraulic fracturing and the foundation aims to transform oilpatch workers into climate change warriors.
• Midland CollegefoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2023Founding partner in the consortium providing education and workforce development expertise. Located in the heart of the Permian Basin.
• Odessa CollegefoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2023Founding partner providing workforce training programs and curriculum development. Vice President Tramaine Anderson focuses on improving air and water quality while reducing carbon footprint.
• The University of Texas at AustinfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2023Lead institution in the consortium, bringing the UT Energy Institute and 450 energy researchers. Brian Korgel serves as Director. Led the NSF Engines application effort.
• The University of Texas at El PasofoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2023Founding partner contributing research capabilities and community engagement through the Borderplex Alliance.
• The University of Texas Permian BasinfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2023Founding partner hosting the Texas Water and Energy Institute. George Nnanna serves as Founding Dean of Engineering and is a key technical contributor.
• New Mexico State UniversityfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2023Founding partner contributing New Mexico research expertise and community engagement.
• New Mexico TechfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2023Founding partner providing geological expertise through the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources. Nelia Dunbar serves as director and state geologist.
• Sandia National LaboratoriesfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2023Founding partner and key technical adviser. Thushara Gunda serves as technical lead for PEDL. Provides systems analysis and research capabilities.
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)foundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2023Founding partner providing advanced energy research expertise. Jill Engel-Cox serves as senior research advisor. Supports socioeconomic analysis and mapping.
• Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC)foundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2023Founding partner providing energy research capabilities and regional expertise.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Greentown Labs: Greentown Labs is a clean energy startup incubator and accelerator supporting hardware entrepreneurs across climate and energy. Both PEDL and Greentown Labs convene startups, researchers, and corporate partners to commercialize advanced energy technologies, though Greentown Labs is hardware-startup focused and not regional.
• New Energy Nexus: New Energy Nexus is a nonprofit ecosystem builder supporting diverse clean energy entrepreneurs globally. Like PEDL, it operates as a coalition and accelerator working across renewable energy, storage, and emerging technologies, and engages community stakeholders in energy transition.
• Activate: Activate (formerly Cyclotron Road) is a nonprofit deep-tech fellowship supporting emerging science and engineering innovators tackling climate and energy challenges. Like PEDL, Activate bridges cutting-edge energy research with deployment, though at a national rather than regional scale.
• GTI Energy: GTI Energy is a nonprofit energy research and development organization addressing natural gas, hydrogen, carbon capture, and renewable integration. Like PEDL, GTI operates as a mission-driven R&D nonprofit partnering across industry, government, and academia to advance energy technologies.
• Permian Strategic Partnership: PSP is a regional coalition of Permian Basin energy CEOs and executives focused on workforce, infrastructure, and community issues in the same 66-county region PEDL serves. PSP addresses energy community resilience and economic diversification, closely overlapping PEDL's community development and workforce mission in the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency R&D. While NREL is a PEDL founding partner, its scale and federal mission make it a broad incumbent peer in integrated clean energy systems and DAC research, and a potential competitor for federal funding.
• Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI): EPRI is a large, established nonprofit conducting independent R&D across the electricity sector. EPRI's breadth and scale in energy research make it a broad incumbent peer to PEDL's integrated energy systems work, though EPRI is electricity-centric rather than oil-and-gas focused.

Emerging players

• Clean Energy Incubator: Clean Energy Incubator is an emerging nonprofit supporting clean energy startups with mentorship and resources. Compared to PEDL's broader mission integrating workforce, community, and technology programs, this is a more narrowly focused emerging peer in the same general ecosystem.
• Clean Energy States Alliance: CESA is a nonprofit coalition of state clean energy programs advancing clean energy markets and policy. Both PEDL and CESA serve as convening organizations for energy transition, though CESA focuses on state-level policy coordination rather than regional technology demonstration.

Regional players

• Houston Energy Transition Initiative (HETI): HETI is a Houston-based energy transition initiative bringing together energy companies, academia, and community stakeholders to address workforce and technology challenges in a major U.S. oil and gas hub. Like PEDL, HETI focuses on transitioning legacy energy regions but serves the Gulf Coast rather than the Permian Basin.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Permian Energy Development Lab