The worldwide energy sector is going through dramatic shifts in energy demand, end-uses and sources. Population and economic growth are driving up total demand. Industrialization, urbanization, electrification, and motorization are changing how we use energy, while a push for domestic, low-carbon and renewable fuels is changing our sources of energy.
More professionals are needed who can navigate this rapidly changing landscape, and the Energy Technology and Policy (ETP) course offers that preparation. This course teaches about renewables, energy transition, changing energy technology and policy.
Important current issues are woven into the curriculum, such as: Peak gasoline demand in 2018/USA and 2023/China; major acquisitions by Exxon Mobil of Pioneer and Denbury, and Chevron of Hess; and participation in USA hubs for carbon and hydrogen.
ETP is led by UT Austin Professor Michael E. Webber, a world-renowned energy expert and host of the PBS documentary Power Trip: The Story of Energy. Dr. Webber and his team of senior energy researchers will lead you through all aspects of the energy industry — the history, science, technology, and challenges of energy sources and technologies (fossil, renewables, hydro, geothermal) — as well as potential future sources of energy and societal issues — economics, national security, and the environment.
| Dates | Time | Location | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBD | 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. CT | UT Austin Campus | $1,750 | Registration is closed. Please contact |
For group, government, and non-profit rates, please contact
*Limited seats are available for UT students at a special rate of $150. Please contact
Learning Objectives:
- Recall and define terminology, units, and magnitudes common in discussions of energy.
- Identify the primary sources of energy.
- Recognize how energy is connected across sectors.
- Recognize different technologies used for energy production and consumption.
- Interpret the basic laws of thermodynamics.
- Generalize how energy needs, sources and uses have changed over time.
- Relate energy issues and society, including economics, national security, and the environment.
- Interpret data, industry reports, and government publications on energy.
- Identify geographic trends in energy production and consumption.
Agenda
View the full agenda here.
Instructors
Michael E. Webber, Ph.D., is the Josey Centennial Professor in Energy Resources at the University of Texas at Austin and CTO of Energy Impact Partners, a $1.5 billion cleantech venture fund. From September 2018 to August 2021, Webber was based in Paris, France where he served as the Chief Science and Technology Officer at ENGIE, a global energy & infrastructure services company. Webber’s expertise spans research and education at the convergence of engineering, policy, and commercialization on topics related to innovation, energy, and the environment. His latest book Power Trip: the Story of Energy was published in 2019 by Basic Books with an award-winning 6-part companion series that aired on PBS, Amazon Prime and iTunes starting Earth Day 2020. His first book, Thirst for Power: Energy, Water and Human Survival, which addresses the connection between earth’s most valuable resources and offers a hopeful approach toward a sustainable future, was published in 2016 by Yale Press and was converted into an hourlong documentary. He was selected as a Fellow of ASME (the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) and as a member of the 4th class of the Presidential Leadership Scholars, which is a leadership training program organized by Presidents George W. Bush and William J. Clinton. Webber has authored more than 400 publications, holds 6 patents, and serves on the advisory board for Scientific American. A successful entrepreneur, Webber was one of three founders in 2015 for an educational technology startup, DISCO Learning Media, which was acquired in 2018. Webber holds a B.S. and B.A. from UT Austin, and M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. He was honored as an American Fellow of the German Marshall Fund and an AT&T Industrial Ecology Fellow on four separate occasions by the University of Texas for exceptional teaching.
Emily Beagle, Ph.D., is a research associate in the Webber Energy Group at UT Austin. She currently works on energy policy and pathways to the decarbonization of the global energy system, with a particular focus on the deployment and use of hydrogen to reduce emissions in the hardest-to-abate sectors. Beagle is interested in using technical and engineering analysis to inform energy policy development. Before joining the Webber Energy Group, Beagle was a senior associate with the Climate Aligned Industries program at RMI and led the policy work for the Green Hydrogen Catapult project. Beagle also served as the ASME Congressional Fellow in Energy in the office of Senator Tina Smith in 2020. She holds bachelor's degrees in Energy Systems Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, as well as a Master's and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wyoming.
Yael R. Glazer, Ph.D., is a research associate in the Webber Energy Group at The University of Texas at Austin. She earned a B.S. in Bioengineering from The University of California at Berkeley, an M.S. in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from UT Austin. Prior to graduate school, Glazer spent seven years working at Genentech, one of the world's leading biotech companies, developing and optimizing manufacturing processes to bring medicines to patients with unmet medical needs. Glazer's current research interests include energy, water, food waste, and the environment. Glazer also teaches an introductory course, Energy and Society, at UT Austin. In addition to academic research and teaching, Glazer consults with investors to assess the technical and economic feasibility of emerging innovations and energy projects.
Joshua D. Rhodes, Ph.D., is a research associate at UT Austin and a founding partner of IdeaSmiths, LLC, an energy consultancy. His current work focuses on smart grid and the bulk electricity system, including spatial system-level applications and impacts of energy efficiency, resource planning, distributed generation and storage. Rhodes is also interested in policy and the impacts that policy can have on the efficiency of the micro and macro economy. He is a regular contributor to "Forbes" and is an "AXIOS" Expert Voice. Rhodes sits on the board of the Texas Solar Energy Society and the data advisory board of Pecan Street Inc., a smart energy consortium. He holds a Bachelor's in Mathematics and Bachelor's in Economics from Stephen F. Austin State University, an M.S. in Computational Mathematics from Texas A&M University, and an M.S. in Architectural Engineering and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from UT Austin. Follow Joshua on social media @joshdr83.
