Introduction to Energy Technology and Policy

1.6 CEUs

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, including discussion about the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act.

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.

Length: 8 days

Course Content:

• Energy Basics: Transitions, Vocabulary, Uses
• Fossil Fuels: Coal, oil, natural gas, midstream, and downstream
• Renewable Energy I: Hydro, Wind, Solar
• Renewable Energy II: Geo, Ocean, Bio, Wave, Tidal
• Nuclear Power
• Energy Policy
• Energy for Industry and the Built Environment
• Transportation Sector: Uses by Transport Mode, Electrification, Biofuels
• The Electricity Sector I: Power Plants, Heat Rates, Capacity Factors
• The Electricity Sector II: Transmission, Distribution, Smart grids, Microgrids
• Energy & the Environment I: Air, Land, Water
• Energy & the Environment II: Equity, Sustainability, and Climate Change
• Energy Water Nexus
• Food Energy Nexus
• Energy Disasters, Reliability, and Resilience
• Megatrends, Critical Technologies of the Future, Energy & Humanity

Recommended For:

Accompanying course lectures, course materials includes

• Rising managers or mid-level executives in the energy industry who want to deepen and broaden their knowledge,
• Professionals in coal, oil, or gas who wish to expand into clean energy topics, or
• Professionals in other sectors such as finance, consulting, human resources, etc. who want to break into the energy sector.
• While this course will introduce some engineering concepts, it is designed for engineers and non-engineers alike.

Included with Course:

Accompanying course lectures, course materials includes

• Energy101: Energy Technology and Policy (interactive e-course),
• Power Trip: The Story of Energy (e-book)