Energy & Society - Physics 190E

Lecture 28 finishes up the subject of biofuels and the course as well. The last brief topic is “Dark Energy” (not a joke) - the 70% of the average energy density of the Universe that physicists do not yet understand.

USDA study on net energy balance in corn based ethanol production.

Website of UMass cellulosic ethanol startup Qteros.

Video of UMass green gasoline innovator George Huber

Article on Obama’s choice of Noble Prize winning physicist Steve Chu for Energy Secretary.

Final Paper/Projects are due on Thursday, December 18th by 5PM. The linked file includes the paper/project topics as well as the basic instructions for the assignment.
You should hand in a paper or written project in two forms.

1) Hard copy - handed in at my office (LGRT 1130) or mailbox (in LGRT 1127A)

2) Computer file (handed in through SPARK)

Powerpoint projects should be handed in on CD to my mailbox. Please don’t email them to me.

Lecture 27 moves through wind power and starts into biofuels.

Homework 11 is an optional extra credit assignment due on Thursday December 11th.

Lecture 26 finishes up solar power and starts into wind power.

Thin film solar leader First Solar’s website.

Article on MIT based solar innovator 1366 Technologies

Lecture 25 finishes up nuclear power and goes through how photovoltaic cells work.

Homework 10 is due on Thursday December 4th.

Dan Kammen’s article The Rise of Renewable Energy

Lecture 24 moves through nuclear physics and starts into the basic elements of nuclear reactors.

Lecture 23 finishes up the topic of global warming and moves into nuclear energy.

Guardian article on the Maldives saving to buy a new home because of rising sea levels.

Information on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

WBGU report on climate protection strategies.

Wikipedia page on the principle of “Contraction and Convergence” for allocating GHG emissions between countries.

Lecture 22 presents data on global warming.

News item about EPA ruling halting permitting of coal fired power plants.

Interesting article research on melting of Greenland’s icesheet.

2007 IPCC report on the impacts of climate change.