1 - 10 of 78 results for: ENERGY

We will explore practical, social, technical, and political issues surrounding energy production and use in Hawaii. Hawaii is at the forefront of technical changes in the electric grid and the uses of electricity, with an aspirational goal for 100% carbon-free electricity in 2045. Hawaii also has passed legislation that aspires to 100% fossil-free transportation by 2040. The explosive growth of behind-the-meter solar generation has led to opportunities for the introduction of distributed energy systems (monitoring and measurement, automated controls, and communication), while also increasing issues with grid stability and social equity. Because of these factors, there is a heightened interest nationally from federal agencies, particularly Energy and Defense. We will consider the availability and viability of solar, wind, and geothermal resources, while also considering the economic impact on Hawaii of large-scale importation of oil for generating electricity and transportation. We will consider emerging questions related to the reliability and the resiliency of the grids on different islands in the State. All of these issues will be considered in the technical, societal, cultural, and political milieu which is the unique nature of Hawaii. We will spend the first week on campus learning about energy and Hawaii, then travel to various field sites in Hawaii, including a wind farm, a utility-scale solar farm, an oil-fired power plant, a waste-to-energy facility, solar hot water systems, and neighborhoods with large proportions of rooftop solar and behind the meter battery storage. Other generation resources will also be considered for visits. We will meet with relevant policy experts and public officials from governmental agencies, universities, and public interest groups. The course will conclude with group presentations by the students. Participants will return to Stanford on September 18.

The evidence that human activities are changing the climate is overwhelming. Energy use is woven throughout the fabric of modern societies, and energy systems are also a primary way that humans interact with the global Earth systems like climate. We know enough about the potential impacts of climate change to see that we need to transform the world¿s energy systems to a much cleaner set of technologies with much lower greenhouse gas emissions. Economies that use energy in a clean, cost-effective way will be much more competitive in the future. The clean energy transition is now underway, with reductions in coal use and rapid growth in solar and wind deployment, but there is much more to do to limit the adverse impacts of climate change. This seminar explores technology options available to make the changes needed, in the developed and developing worlds. There is no shortage of energy available for our use. Instead, the challenge is to convert those energy resources into services like electricity and transportation, and that conversion requires technology, as well as policies and markets that enable innovation. The scale of the world¿s energy systems is dauntingly large, and we will need a well-diversified set of options to meet the challenge. Wind, solar, nuclear, carbon capture and storage for fossil fuel use, modified agriculture, electric (and automated) vehicles, advanced air conditioning, and many other technology options exist. We will consider these technologies and ask what barriers will have to be addressed if they are to be deployed at a scale large enough to reduce the impact climate change. The format will be discussions of technologies and their potential with a project and student presentations toward the end of the quarter.

Energy use in modern society and the consequences of current and future energy use patterns. Case studies illustrate resource estimation, engineering analysis of energy systems, and options for managing carbon emissions. Focus is on energy definitions, use patterns, resource estimation, pollution. Recommended: MATH 21 or 42.

A weekend field trip featuring renewable and nonrenewable energy installations in Northern California. Tour geothermal, bioenergy, and natural gas field sites with expert guides from the Department of Energy Resources Engineering. Requirements: One campus meeting and weekend field trip. Enrollment limited to 25. Freshman have first choice.

Do you want a much better understanding of renewable power technologies? Did you know that wind and solar are the fastest growing forms of electricity generation? Are you interested in hearing about the most recent, and future, designs for green power? Do you want to understand what limits power extraction from renewable resources and how current designs could be improved? This course dives deep into these and related issues for wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, tidal and wave power technologies. We welcome all student, from non-majors to MBAs and grad students. If you are potentially interested in an energy or environmental related major, this course is particularly useful. Recommended: Math 21 or 42.

This course explores the transition to a sustainable energy system at large scales (national and global), and over long time periods (decades). Explores the drivers of global energy demand and the fundamentals of technologies that can meet this demand sustainably. Focuses on constraints affecting large-scale deployment of technologies, as well as inertial factors affecting this transition. Problems will involve modeling global energy demand, deployment rates for sustainable technologies, technological learning and economics of technical change. Recommended: ENERGY 101, 102.

The success of energy projects and companies is judged by technical, economic and financial criteria. This course will introduce concepts of engineering economy, e.g., time value of money, life cycle costs and financial metrics, and explore their application to the business of energy. We will use case studies, business school cases and possibly industry guest lecturers. Examples from the hydrocarbon businesses that dominate energy today will provide the framework for the analysis of both conventional and renewable energy.

How to use MATLAB as a tool for research and technical computing, including 2-D and 3-D visualization features, numerical capabilities, and toolboxes. Practical skills in areas such as data analysis, regressions, optimization, spectral analysis, differential equations, image analysis, computational statistics, and Monte Carlo simulations. Emphasis is on scientific and engineering applications. Offered every year, autumn quarter.

This course introduces safety, environmental and regulatory aspects of oil and gas development and production. Students will learn about personal and process safety management in oil and gas, as well as major State and Federal laws and regulatory programs governing oil and gas in the US. Lectures will introduce and explain concepts of safety, regulation, environment and sustainability, further illustrated through discussion of case studies from the global oil and gas industry. Parallels with renewable energy will be discussed.