Energy is fuel for modern economic growth. Since the Industrial Revolution, the continuous development of energy technology and infrastructure has allowed our global economy to increase production to new orders of magnitude. The unreserved use of low-cost, fossil fuel based energy has been a key driver of the modern economic growth enjoyed by developed countries. With the threat of climate change, energy security, and natural resource scarcity, our global energy systems are facing the challenge of sustainability. Scientists, engineers, policy makers, and the private sector are turning attention to the task of designing a sustainable energy future.
Defining a sustainable energy future requires commitment and innovation from many disciplines and many sectors. We must invent new technologies to make renewable energy more competitive. We must design public policies which bring environment into the economic value chain and into the mainstream consciousness. We must create business models that allow clean energy supply to penetrate the market while creating the incentives for business and consumers to invest in energy efficiency. We must create the economic and political mechanisms through which emerging economies can get on the path to low-carbon energy without sacrificing their own economic development.
Example Topic Areas:
Green Chemistry
The EPA estimates that the US will need over 200,000 new hazardous waste sites by the year 2033. Propose a line of research looking at a new green material, product solution, or policy to reinvigorate green chemistry in the United States.
Green Cities
What can be done to make cities in developing countries dramatically cleaner? Examples include technology and policy mechanisms that enable cities to generate their own renewable energy, recycle waste for energy production or re-use, and dramatically reduce water waste. Can you develop programs for specific cities, and make these ideas generally known for other municipalities to evaluate and implement? These submissions would form part of an ambitious ongoing project on urban environmental sustainability.
Renewable Energy Business Plans
Renewable energy implementation is as dependent on the business model as the technology. Innovative business plans might propose new models for selling solar energy, increasing penetration of flex-fuel cars, or methods for marketing energy efficiency. Students may also submit innovative concepts for non-profits and social enterprises.
Policy Innovations
The goals of energy and environmental sustainability are inextricably tied to the policies and incentives put in place by government. What can government do differently? Propose a new policy, institution, or system that can stimulate sustainability.
Create your own Category
Like the future, and unlike our current energy resources, the potential for ideas is unlimited. Do you have an idea that doesn't fit into any organized category, or that reaches across multiple disciplines? Feel free to subvert the dominant paradigms and break away from conventional approaches to these issues.