Results for CEE 15SC: Energy in the West

Students will explore practical, social, and political issues surrounding energy and the West. Using Wyoming--the largest energy provider in the United States--as a case study, students will consider the availability and viability of coal, oil, and gas (including coal-bed methane production and fracking), CO2 capture and storage, hydropower, and wind and solar energy. They will consider questions of the security of energy supply, global warming, environmental impacts, and economics and public policy, with particular attention to the so-called water-energy nexus, a critically important issue for Wyoming. nnStudents will spend the first week on campus, then travel to various field sites in Wyoming, including a coal mine, a CO2 capture plant, a CO2 enhanced oil recovery project, a wind power plant, a hydropower plant, and a shale-gas site. They will meet with relevant policy experts and public officials to consider such questions as: nn¿ Where our energy supplies come from and how energy is extracted from the ground and transported to urban centers where it is used;nn¿ The nexus between energy and water issues;nn¿ Tradeoffs and co-benefits between different types of energy supplies, including energy security, environmental impacts, and economic development; nn¿ Public policy issues surrounding energy, the environment, and the economy. nnDuring the trip, students will work on group projects to evaluate energy mix and will present their work at the conclusion of the course. Participants will return to Stanford on September 19. Travel to, from, and within Wyoming will be provided (except incidentals) and is made possible by the Bill Lane Center for the American West and Sophomore College.