Our Energy Future: Sustainable Solutions

This module provides course overview materials, including syllabus, lecturer information, grading criteria, and external notices and resources.

This module introduces the basics of energy, covers finite energy sources like petroleum, looks at how energy and food are related, and examines the scale of current and future energy consumption and what renewable energy options can meet that demand.

This module explores alternative energy options from the physical sciences domain, including wind energy, photovoltaic and photothermal energy, and nuclear energy. It also covers energy storage and electric vehicles, and energy efficiency and smart grid technologies.

This module provides an overview of the different biological energy sources including plants and algae. It explains what biofuels are, how they are produced, and the pros and cons of different biological sources.

This module discusses various plant-based fuels including corn ethanol, cellulosic ethanol, and jatropha biodiesel. It covers the different technologies used, the pros and cons of each source, and current production around the world.

This module examines different algae used for biofuel production including cyanobacteria, diatoms, and green algae. It looks at how these organisms are different and why they are used to produce biofuels and bio-products. It also covers different tools and technologies used in research and production.

This module covers the chemistry of biodiesel, looks at different thermochemical processes used to convert biomass to fuel, and examines renewable biogas. It also explores the production process of algae biofuel, nutrient utilization and recycling in biofuel production, and the relationship between biofuel and water.

This module examines how energy production and use affects the economy, wellbeing, and health. It looks at energy impacts on poor communities, external costs of traditional energy, and energy regulation and incentives for renewable energy. It also covers Life Cycle Assessment for fuels, US energy policies, and international climate change policy.

This module explores the history of research on how carbon dioxide causes climate change, key points of IPCC reporting, and media portrayal of climate change. It discusses the importance of decreasing Short-lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs) and possible solutions. It also examines climate change impacts on California's water and energy use, and global food security threats.

This module contains recordings of live office hours from Dr. Mayfield and other course lecturers, covering various topics from the course.