Stanford-Woods Energy Seminar - Spring 2009

Course Description

The Energy Seminar is produced by the Woods Institute and The Precourt Institute for Energy (PIE) at Stanford University. and is comprised of an interdisciplinary series of talks primarily by Stanford experts on a broad range of energy topics.

The Precourt Institute for Energy (PIE) has been established as a new independent institute at Stanford that engages in a broad-ranging, interdisciplinary program of research and education on energy – applying fundamental research to the problem of supplying energy in environmentally and economically acceptable ways, using it efficiently, and facing the behavioral, social, and policy challenges of creating new energy systems for the U.S. and the world.. For more information on the rationale for the Precourt Institute and the areas of research, click here.



The Ward W. and Priscilla B. Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University harnesses the expertise and imagination of leading academics and decision-makers to create practical solutions for people and the planet. In the same spirit that inspired Stanford’s role in Silicon Valley’s high-tech revolution, the Woods Institute is pioneering innovative approaches to meet the environmental challenges of the 21st century – from climate change to sustainable food supplies to ocean conservation. For more information click here.

Lectures:

# April 01: Dr. Dan E. Arvizu, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Transforming Our Energy Economy: The Role of Renewable Energy

Reception to follow in the Social Entry, Yang and Yamazaki Environment and Energy Building

Related Link(s): http://www.nrel.gov/

Presentation Slides - [pdf]

# April 08: Tara Billingsley, Professional Staff, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, U.S. Senate

How Energy Policy Is Really Made

Related Link(s): http://energy.senate.gov/public/

# April 15: Denis Hayes, Co-founder and President, Bullitt Foundation

Taking Solar Seriously: How to Run a Modern Industrial Civilization on Sunbeams

Related Link(s): http://www.bullitt.org/

# April 22: Scott McGaraghan, Director of Business Development, EnerNOC, Inc.

What are the "Killer Apps" of the Smart Grid?

Presentation Slides - [pdf]

# April 29: Frank Wolak, Holbrook Working Professor in Commodity Price Studies and Senior Fellow, by courtesy, at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research

Why the United States Has Yet to Benefit from Electricity Industry Re-structuring (And What Can Be Done to Change This)?

Related Link(s): http://www.stanford.edu/~wolak

Presentation Slides - [pdf]

# May 06: Lisa Schipper, Stockholm Environmental Institute

Mapping Adaptation: Untangling the Divergent Interpretations

Related Link(s): http://www.sei.se/

Presentation Slides - [pdf]

# May 13: Ed Moses, Principal Associate Director, National Ignition Facility, Photon Science, Lawrence Livermore National Security

LIFE: A Laser Fusion Based System for Sustainable, Carbon-Free Energy Future

Related Link(s): https://lasers.llnl.gov/

# May 20: Mark Zoback, Benjamin M. Page Professor in Earth Sciences, Stanford University

A Strategy for Exploiting Unconventional Gas Resources and Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions

MAP Energy Social Social to follow at Y2E2, second floor balcony (near Precourt Atrium)

# May 27: Neil Renninger, Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer; Amyris

Hydrocarbon-based Biofuels Via Fermentation - An Alternative to Conventional Biofuels

# June 03: Bob Shaw, President, Aretê Corporation

The Carbon Problem: What Can We Do About it?

Energy Social follows at 5:30pm in the Social Entry (red atrium) of Y2E2