Clean Energy Transition Seminar

3 credits · Law School

Throughout history, energy transitions have brought significant changes to the energy industry and have also shifted society's dependence upon and interactions with various energy resources. This seminar will focus in depth on the legal and governance issues surrounding the impending energy transition in the 21st century, which focuses on decarbonization of the energy sector. We will examine how throughout history energy transitions have sought to address society's dependence on legacy resources, while also attracting the capital necessary to promote new innovations. These transitions have also helped society to integrate new values into the legal and governance structure of the energy system. After examining some historical examples, a variety of specific legal and governance issues related to the impending clean energy transition will be addressed, including stranded costs related to decarbonization, various barriers to clean energy resources in competitive energy markets, the increasingly important roles of conservation and efficiency, the significance of energy in transportation, and whether pipeline and electric power transmission regulation is up to the task of addressing the transition to clean energy. Grading will be based primarily on a seminar paper -- which will require each student to identify how some particular aspect of the impending clean energy transition challenges (and is sometimes challenged by) the existing legal and governance framework, and evaluate some solutions. Enrollment Limited. [3]