The Future of Energy

3 units

The course will examine the topic of energy from many human-relevant perspectives in a primarily lecture-based format. Humans use an enormous amount of energy, at the staggering rate of 20 terawatts. Where does this energy come from? How long will it last? What are the consequences? This course will examine these questions and look at energy resources and their consumption from scientific, social, economic, ethical and political viewpoints. The course will first examine what energy is, as well its relation to other concepts such as heat, work, and power. We will then look at the way that energy is used by society. We will examine the different sources of energy, their availabilities, the pros and cons of using them, their consequences, and their futures. We will examine the impacts that the use of fossil fuels is having on the environment, primarily through pollution and greenhouse gas-driven climate change. We will examine the significant environmental injustices associated with energy, its production, and availability. Given that Earth receives more energy from the sun in one hour than all humans use in a year, opportunities for solar-based power (photovoltaic, wind, hydro, biomass) are plentiful. However, how we get to there from where we are now is not clear, and many questions remain (the role of nuclear power, the rate of transition, the role of government, the impacts of climate change, energy storage capabilities, battery vs. hydrogen fuel cell cars, etc.). This course will look at all of these topics related to all of the energy sources, including the roles they played in our past and the roles they might play in our future.