Energy Policy Options for Utah

Class taught at the University of Utah Fall Semester 2007.

Econ 3960-002, meets with 5960-001, 6960-001 and 396-002: Energy Policy Options for Utah

The class meets during the Fall Semester 2007 on Thursday evenings from 6 pm to 8:40 pm in Business Classroom Building (BuC) 305. First class session is Aug 23. Each session has one or two guest speakers. The class takes a critical look at the policies in order to find out why renewable energies have not yet taken off in the USA, despite urgent need for them. It considers both sides in the debates between renewable portfolio standards and feed-in tariffs, and between carbon trading and carbon taxes. All forms of energy will be discussed one by one: availability in Utah, cost, environmental impact, other considerations, and policies appropriate with respect to that type of energy. The schedule of the class is such that it can track the real-time developments of the current energy policy initiatives in Utah.

Why hasn't Renewable Energy Taken Off Yet?

First Class Meeting

Renewable Portfolio Standards versus Feed-In Tariffs

Quantity-oriented versus price-oriented policies to promote renewable energy

Cap and Trade versus Carbon Tax

How cap and trade works, alternatives, pros and cons, experiences with cap and trade

Smart Electric Grid

The combination of the electric grid with modern Information Theory provides the infrastructure necessary for the conservation and distributed production of energy.

Geothermal Energy

The only renewable energy that delivers steady base-load power. Utah has good geothermal resources, and the University of Utah has an excellent research institute, the EGI, which is famous world-wide for its geothermal expertise.

1. Global Warming

State of science on Global Warming. What needs to be achieved and how urgent is it to act?

Biofuels

 

List of Readings

 

Literature Annotations

 

Readings in Carbon Footprint and Climate Change

Reading List prepared by Ivan Weber

Rocky Mountain/Great Basin Regional Climate Change Assessment

 

The Debate over Fixed-Price Incentives for Renewable Electricity in Europe and the United States

White Paper written by Wilson Rickerson and Robert C. Grace for the Heinrich Boell Foundation, February 2007. How can the positive experiences with Feed-In Tariffs in Europe be applied to the United States?

Nuclear Energy: Solution or Problem?

 

Intelligrid Slide Show

 

Nano Technology

 

Mitigation

 

Energy Efficiency

 

Subsidies for Fossil Fuels

 

Conservation

Profound life style changes are necessary

Carbon Sequestration

 

State Geothermal Commercialization Programs in Seven Rocky Mountain States

Semi-Annual Progress Report January/July 1981 scanned from microfiche to pdf.