UW Student Engineering Team Wins Recent Energython Competition

A University of Wyoming graduate student team recently won the 2026 Energython U.S. regional competition at the Energy Economics and Evaluation Symposium Jan. 14 in Houston, Texas.

The Energython: “Molecule to Megabyte” Challenge was a strategic business case competition that allowed top student teams from across the U.S. to present innovative techno‑economic models to power artificial intelligence (AI)-driven data centers using natural gas-fired power generation. The UW team named “SynerGas” won $4,000 for its winning project that was titled “Reliable, scalable and natural-gas power for data centers.”

SynerGas -- a name devised to show synergy regarding gas-based energy systems -- developed a project focused on reliable, scalable and finance-ready power for data centers, using natural gas as a near-term backbone while remaining adaptable to future decarbonization, says Sylvanus Agosu, a third-year UW Ph.D. candidate in petroleum engineering and a member of the winning UW team.

“The premise was to move beyond a theoretical power plant design and, instead, deliver a fully integrated energy solution that connects natural gas supply, power generation, commercial agreements and emissions considerations into a single, bankable framework bridging the gap from molecule to megabyte,” says Agosu, from Ghana.

The UW team developed a comprehensive techno-economic model for supplying a 10-20-megawatt data center load with a natural gas-fired power plant. The project integrated:

-- Power plant configuration and operational assumptions.

-- A geographic information systems-based natural gas supply and infrastructure analysis.

-- Project finance modeling, including debt structuring and sensitivity analysis.

-- Power off-take and commercial considerations.

-- Emissions estimation and carbon capture and storage-readiness pathways.

“The result was an investment-grade evaluation that demonstrated not only technical feasibility, but also commercial and financial viability under real-world constraints,” Agosu says of the project.

Besides UW, other finalist teams were from the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University and Texas A&M International University.

Energython included a preliminary written proposal phase prior to the symposium in Houston. Teams submitted detailed technical and financial proposals that were evaluated by industry professionals. Based on the quality, rigor and practicality of these submissions, four teams were selected as finalists and invited to present their projects in person at the Energy Economics Evaluation Symposium.

“We were confident in the depth and realism of our project, particularly its strong integration of engineering, finance and commercial structure,” Agosu says. “At the same time, the finalist field was very strong, so we were genuinely honored and excited to be selected as the winning team. The judges’ feedback affirmed that our focus on practical, decision-ready analysis resonated strongly.”

“Sylvanus Agosu, Gisella Mena Terán and Mohaimen Al-Anbar are the real heroes of this big success and who did the actual work,” says Haibo Zhai, a professor in the UW Department of Civil Engineering and Construction Management, and the Roy and Caryl Cline Distinguished Chair in Engineering. “I just served as faculty adviser for this great team and contributed my two cents.” 

Terán is a third-year Ph.D. candidate in chemical engineering from Ecuador, and Al-Anbar is a third-year Ph.D. candidate in petroleum engineering from Iraq.

Agosu says the $4,000 prize will be used to support the team’s continued research and professional development, including further refinement of the project for potential peer-reviewed publication, conference participation and related academic activities. The experience has opened opportunities to expand the work into broader research on reliable and low-carbon power solutions for data centers, he adds.