energy symposium

UT Energy Symposium (UTES)

Erik Funkhouser

Academic Counselors Association, 20 Mar 2013 University of Texas at Austin

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Objective

• Weekly speaker series to provide a common platform for students (and faculty) from all disciplines across the campus to interact on the most pressing energy issues

• Every week an expert from industry, government, or academia speaks about key technological, policy, regulatory, and market aspects of the week’s topic, and how it relates to the future of the global energy system

• Also, offered as a 1-credit course, open to all graduate and undergraduate students– LBJ School course– By arrangement

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UTES Speakers

• UTES speakers are typically highly accomplished in one or more aspects of the global energy system, and are drawn roughly equally from academia, industry, non-profits, and think-tanks

• Academia– UT, Stanford, Harvard, CMU, Rice, RIT, UCSD, U. Chicago

• Industry– ConocoPhillips, NRG Energy, Foundation Capital, E3, GE, CPS Energy

• Non-profit– National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Environmental Defense Fund, Clean Air

Task Force, California Center for Sustainable Development, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

• Other– World Bank, Railroad Commission, Scientific American, Pecan Street Inc

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Course Requirements

• Weekly discussions– Brief, mandatory discussion on Blackboard following every talk

• Research notes– 2 two-page write-ups (per semester) further exploring topics

discussed by UTES speakers– Topics explored

• Fracking and Shale gas, Solar PV, Innovation in energy, CO2 impact of wind, Role of natural gas, Sustainability, Geo-engineering, Coal in China, Utility of the future, Energy Storage, Smart Grids…

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We Do Very Cool Things!

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Future Plans: Where UTES is Going

• Maintain the high quality of speakers• Increase and diversify student enrollment• Increase audience size• Institution building• Collaboration• Maximize student rewards

“The opportunity to sit down with the chief executive of a major utility allowed us to better understand how our studies and research aligns with the issues currently in question within the industry. Mr. Beneby clearly has a wealth of knowledge about how the electricity industry operates and how investment decisions are made. Understanding these facts is useful in guiding the direction of student research. Mr. Beneby also showed great interest in our work and our lives and had a wealth of personal wisdom to share.”

--UTES Student

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Value to Curriculum, Students

• A primer—get your feet wet • Cross-Currents – Exploiting UT’s position• Exposure to different pathways in energy and enviro careers• Interdisciplinary • Internships, applied research, networking • Framing – Talking energy

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UTES Spring 2013 Course Information

• PA 188S, 62945• Thu, 5:15-6:15pm, MEZES Hall 1.306• Course Registration:

– http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/schedule/spring2013/3626• List of Speakers:

– http://www.energy.utexas.edu/index.php? option=com_content&view=article&id=35&Itemid=147

• Contacts: – Prof. Varun Rai raivarun@gmail.com– Erik Funkhouser <ejfunk10@gmail.com>