This lecture provides an overview and motivations for the class, as well as an introduction to the U.S. energy system. A brief history of the state of U.S. energy is given through a series of graphs and data.

Lecture 1: This Course and The U.S. Energy System

This lecture focuses on the politics of regulation through a series of case discussion surrounding the EPA and setting emissions standards in response to air pollution, coal emissions, and acid rain.

Lecture 21: U.S. Environment Policy

This lecture features a guest speaker, Bob DiMatteo, the CEO and chairman of MTPV. He speaks about micron-gap thermalphotovoltaics and entrepreneurship in the energy field. Later, a short lecture is given on the green growth model.

Lecture 22: Economic Development & Green Growth

This lecture explores drivers of movements, such as interest groups and changing preferences, and how they affect environmental movements as well as the formation of public policy, efforts, and parties.

Lecture 20: Social Movements

This lecture focuses on the development of public policy and the roles that interest groups and factions play in governance. The creation of America's democracy is used as an example, followed by EPA regulation.

Lecture 19: Making Public Policy

This lecture focuses on future challenges that await grid technology on the policy, economic, and technological fronts. RD&amp;D and dynamic pricing are offered as avenues toward solutions, though the primary issues still rests in policy and regulation.

Lecture 18: Tomorrow's Electric Power System

This lecture focuses on electric power systems, grid architecture, and transmission systems. Baseload units and peaking units are compared, as are various market models, and state and federal regulations.

Lecture 17: (Yesterday's &) Today's Electric Power System

This lecture focuses on hydraulic cracking, or fracking, and its environmental consequences and impact on policy as seen from the perspectives of key stakeholders. Discussion includes a thought experiment about having a shale resource in Massachusetts.

Lecture 16: Shale: Opportunities & Challenges

This lecture focuses on the state of non-renewable energy on the global market. Classic hotelling theory is covered in the beginning, and then oil, coal, and natural gas markets are analyzed over the across geographies and time.

Lecture 15: Non-Renewable Energy Resources

The lecture highlights how technology maturity, scale, scope, and capabilities of innovations affect the business model for that new innovation. Discussion about energy at different phases of innovation ensues.

Lecture 14: Innovation and Energy Business Models

Energy Decisions, Markets, and Policies

This lecture focuses on the function and role of government. The video features a moderated, in-class debate regarding the Carter v. Carter Coal case taken from two different standpoints on the role of the federal government.

Lecture 4: The Market and The State

This lecture features a facilitated discussion of combined heat and power (CHP) and the Hexion case study, which challenges students to consider a sample net present value analysis and its implications.

Lecture 11: Business Decisions in Reality: CHP at Hexion

The lecture focuses on how to estimate, calculate, and predict energy demand. Considerations for short-run and long-run demand are taken, and the efficiency paradox is also discussed.

Lecture 8: Economics of Energy Demand

This lecture presents the issues of time-scales and uncertainties as barriers to climate change. Three views on discounting are discussed as well as strategies for reducing global costs, adapting to new technologies, and reducing CO2 emissions.

Lecture 6: Climate Science and Policy

This lecture features a facilitated case discussion of barriers against organizational change as present in the Biodiesel at MIT case study.

Lecture 12: Organizational Decision-Making: Biodiesel at MIT

This lecture frames decisions affecting energy use as framed by social science and factors that influence decision-making. The lecture makes use of a research study conducted on towel reuse, and a class discussion of group identities.

Lecture 9: Energy Use by Individuals and Households

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The best podcast episodes of the most interesting stories and things. From skyping someone while they're in space, to tracking down and meeting a telephone scammer in person, to the story of a Galapagos. These episodes will keep you and all your friends entertained and captivated for hours. Learn something new in every episode! Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!