Lecture

Sequestering CO2 in the Built Environment

February 18, 2009 lecture by Brent Constanz for the Woods Energy Seminar (ENERGY301). In his talk "A Pathway for Widespread Utilization of Geothermal Energy-the Roles of Multi-scale Resource and Technology Research and Systems Analysis," Brent Constanz states that concrete is the most used product worldwide next to water and he suggests that we could safely, cheaply, and quickly store carbon dioxide in concrete at the rate of about six billion yards per year.


Course Lectures
  • January 7, 2009 lecture by Lee Schipper for the Woods Energy Seminar (ENERGY301). In his talk "When the Rubber Hits the Road: The Real Story on Fuel Economy in the US and other Developed Countries, with Implications for Developing Asia," Schipper discusses better and more realistic fuel economy options in the US and other industrialized nations.

  • January 14, 2009 lecture by David Victor for the Woods Energy Seminar (ENERGY301). In his talk "New Ways to Think About Regulating Greenhouse Gasses," Victor discusses the need for an international and universal regulation on greenhouse gas emissions and he posits that the nature of the climate problem has been erroneously placed on compliance concerns rather than actual effort.

  • January 21, 2009 lecture by Ilan Kroo for the Woods Energy Seminar (ENERGY301). In his talk "Future Air Transportation and the Environment," Kroo discusses the impact of aviation on the environment and the idea of "sustainable" aviation.

  • January 28, 2009 lecture by Julie Young for the Woods Energy Seminar (ENERGY301). In her talk "Renewable Ocean Energy Conversion Systems: Advancing State-of-the-Art," Young discusses renewable ocean energy technologies.

  • February 5, 2009 lecture by Nicholas Jenkins for the Woods Energy Seminar (ENERGY301). In his talk "Smart Grids and De-Carbonising the Power Sector," Jenkins discusses the progress and implementation of smart power grids using cost-effective analysis.

  • February 11, 2009 lecture by Jefferson Tester for the Woods Energy Seminar (ENERGY301). In his talk "A Pathway for Widespread Utilization of Geothermal Energy-the Roles of Multi-scale Resource and Technology Research and Systems Analysis," Tester talks about the benefits and challenges of harnessing geothermal energy, and he asserts that it is a large resource that complements solar and wind energy and is both carbon free and scalable.

  • February 18, 2009 lecture by Brent Constanz for the Woods Energy Seminar (ENERGY301). In his talk "A Pathway for Widespread Utilization of Geothermal Energy-the Roles of Multi-scale Resource and Technology Research and Systems Analysis," Brent Constanz states that concrete is the most used product worldwide next to water and he suggests that we could safely, cheaply, and quickly store carbon dioxide in concrete at the rate of about six billion yards per year.

  • February 25, 2009 lecture by Jacques Bouchard for the Woods Energy Seminar (ENERGY301). In his talk "Can Nuclear Energy be a Sustainable Contribution to Address Climate Change Concerns? The French Experience," Jacques Bouchard gives a comprehensive overview of France's development and innovation of nuclear energy technology.

  • Global Coal Market
    Richard Morse

    March 4, 2009, Richard Morse states that coal is the largest growing source of energy and that regulation and policy are beginning to play a larger role in the economy of coal power. Morse also discusses the heavy reliance on coal by developing countries and the need to understand and evaluate all mitigation options.

  • April 1, 2009 - Dan Arvizu, director of the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, discusses the current state of renewable energy technology and implementation in the U.S., as well as potential advancements in the near future.

  • April 22, 2009 - Scott McGaraghan, director of business development for EnerNOC, Inc., discusses current and developing technologies to maximize the potential energy saving benefits of local and national-level smart grid systems.

  • April 29, 2009 - Frank Wolak, senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, discusses restructuring of the electricity industry in the U.S. using examples from California and explains the problems involved in energy market design.

  • May 6, 2009 - Lisa Schipper, research fellow at the Stockholm Environmental Institute, discusses theories connecting climate change adaptation to international development, and how they relate to concrete changes being implemented in southeast Asia and elsewhere.

  • May 13, 2009 - Ed Moses, principal associate director of the National Ignition Facility, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, discusses current laser inertial fusion energy technology and its potential to scale up to nationwide energy production in the next 10 years.

  • May 20, 2009 - Mark Zoback, professor in the Department of Geophysics, Stanford University, discusses recent developments in natural gas extraction that enable cost-effective carbon capture and storage to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.