Sustainability Cohort 4: Clean Energy and Industrial Decarbonization - Technologies, Investment, and Deployment Trajectories

Clean Energy and Industrial Decarbonization - Technologies, Investment, and Deployment Trajectories.

There is now global recognition of the need to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with a procession of nations, states, cities, and companies announcing targets to reach net-zero emissions by around the middle of the century.

Most pathways to achieve net-zero emissions in energy and industrial systems rely on a shift away from fossil fuels to essentially zero-emissions renewable resources, along with various combinations of increased energy efficiency, clean fuel production, bioenergy production, nuclear power, CO2 capture and storage, and CO2 removal through natural and engineered solutions. Net-zero energy supply systems that rely heavily on weather-dependent renewable energy sources have a greater capital intensity (the relative contribution that capital servicing costs make to overall energy systems cost) than conventional energy systems that rely mostly on fossil fuels and/or nuclear energy. However, they benefit from the near-zero operating costs of renewable resources. Steep reductions in the capital costs of wind and solar over the last 20 years, and more recently in the cost of battery technology, mean that these systems can now have similar or lower through-life average unit costs.

In this unit, we explore different decarbonization pathways, the various challenges and bottlenecks that must be navigated, and opportunities to speed up deployment.

Instructor: Chris GreigLinks to an external site. , Theodora D. ’78 and William H. ’74 Walton III Senior Research Scientist, The Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment

Cohort overview: Through guest speakers, case studies and immersive capstone, graduate students will learn, discuss and investigate goals and dimensions of Sustainability, and practical challenges and solutions.This cohort is in partnership with the Office of Sustainability and Co-developed by Faculty Fellows in Professional Development Innovation and GradFUTURES graduate student fellows.

Upon successful completion of learning cohort including capstone, participants will receive a micro-credential and certification recognizing their proficiency in Sustainability.
 

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