Resources

• How America can leave fossil fuels behind, in one chart (Vox 2020) [11 minutes]
• Electric cars could wreak havoc on oil markets within a decade (Bloomberg 2016) [4 minutes]
• Our Amazing Clean Energy Future has Arrived (Foreign Policy 2021)

Recommended:

• Al Gore: The Case for Optimism on Climate Change (TED 2016) [25 minutes]
• Powering Sustainable Energy for All by Ban Ki-Moon (NYT 2012) [3 pages]
• Tony Seba: Clean Disruption - Energy & Transportation (CRES) [1 hour]
• The Innovations We Need to Avoid A Climate Disaster (TED 2021) [50 minutes]

• The Essentials of Energy (It's Okay To Be Smart 2015) [6 minutes]
• Beyond the Anthropocene | Johan Rockström (World Economic Forum 2017) [22 minutes]
• How Tesla will Change the World (Wait But Why 2015) 

Recommended:

• Climate Change and Environmental Racism (PBS 2016) [26 minutes]

• Oil and Gas Formation (EarthScience 2014) [3 minutes]
• Oil and natural gas resource categories reflect varying degrees of certainty (EIA Today in Energy 2014) [2 pages]

Recommended:

• Overview of the oil and gas exploration and production process (eTech International 2012) [7 pages]
• Petroleum (NEED.org) [4 pages]
• Overview of the Petroleum Industry Part 1 (Gulf Publishing Co 2009) [8 minutes]
• Fossil Fuels 101 (Student Energy 2015) [3 minutes]
• 1973 Oil Crisis (Victoria Flores 2014) [4 minutes]

• Overview of the Petroleum Industry Part 3 Drilling a Well (Gulf Publishing Co 2009) [9 minutes]
• VIP Rig Tour (2012) [12 minutes]
• Life of an onshore well: finding and producing tight or shale oil and gas (Shell 2013) [6 minutes]
• The Largest Oil Rig in the World - Perdido (Shell 2013) [20 minutes]

Recommended:

• Shale Gas and Horizontal Drilling - Videos 3-6 (Chesapeake Energy 2013) [13 minutes]

• Overview of the Petroleum Industry Part 4 (Gulf Publishing Co 2009) [10 minutes]
• Oil Sands 101 (Student Energy 2015) [3 minutes]
• More stringent marine sulfur limits mean changes for U.S. refiners and ocean vessels (EIA Today in Energy 2019)
• The future of Big Oil flaring in the Permian Basin and the climate challenge (CNBC 2021)

Recommended:

• How Offshore Oil Rigs Work (Wendover Productions 2020) [2 minutes]
• The Impact Of Abandoned Oil Wells On The Environment (Oil Price 2021)
• Occidental Delivers World First Carbon-Neutral Oil (Oil Price 2021)
• Maritime chokepoints are critical to global energy security (EIA Today in Energy 2017)
• Where our oil comes from - brief (EIA Energy Explained) [1 page]
• Where our oil comes from - in depth (EIA Energy Explained) [1 page]

• Neighbors of the Fence (The Bitter Southerner 2012)
• What is Refining? (EKT Interactive 2020) [6 minutes]

Recommended:

• The True Cost of Fossil Fuels (Scientific American 2013) [4 pages]
• Dr. Norm Hyne: Oil Refining (2014) [23 minutes]

• Coal (NEED.org) [4 pages]
• Methods of Mining (KGS) [2 pages]
• Where Our Coal Comes From (EIA Coal Explained) [1 page]
• The Big One (Edmonton Journal 2010) [1 minute]
• Mine of the Future (Rio Tinto 2014) [5 minutes]
• This town powered America for decades. What do we owe them? (CNN Opinion 2021) [9 minutes]
• 4 Major Asian Nations Cancel 80% of Planned Coal Power Projects After Fossil Fuel Market Crashes in 2020 (Good News Network 2021)
• How Steel Might Finally Kick Its Coal Habit (Wired 2021)
• The history and future of coal, explained (DW 2021) [8 minutes]
• The Coal Plant Next Door (ProPublica 2021)

Recommended:

• Scientists Seek Ban on Mountaintop Mining (Discovery 2010) [4 minutes]
• Report finds widespread contamination at nation’s coal ash sites (March 4, 2019)
• North Carolina orders Duke Energy to excavate all coal ash (ABC News 2019)
• Toxic Waste in the US: Coal Ash (VICE News 2015) [25 min]
• RIP Coal. Long Live Coal Country (Grist 2019)
• Wyoming lawmakers sprint to save coal (Casper Star Tribune 2021)
• Coal mines emit more methane than oil-and-gas sector, study finds (Renew Economy 2020)
• North Dakota Officials Block Wind Power in Effort to Save Coal (NPR 2021)

• Natural Gas 101 (Student Energy 2015) [4 minutes]
• Mark Zoback - Natural Gas Issues (Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy 2013) [24 minutes]
• The Power of Natural Gas: Complementing Renewables for a Sustainable Energy Future (GE Power 2020) [4 min]
• Methane: The other important greenhouse gas (EDF 2014) [3 min]

Recommended:

• Liquified Natural Gas 101 (Student Energy 2015) [2 minutes]
• Where Our Natural Gas Comes From (EIA Natural Gas Explained) [1 page]
• The Business of Natural Gas (Southern Gas Association 2013) [5 minutes]
• Natural Gas Processing (American Petroleum Institute 2017) [5 pages]
• Natural Gas Pipelines (American Petroleum Institute 2017) [6 pages]

• Electricity (NEED.org) 
• Why wind and solar power are such a challenge for energy grids (Vox 2015)

Recommended:

• Why are birds not electrocuted on power lines? (Naked Scientists 2011) [4 minutes]
• How Electricity Is Delivered To Consumers (EIA 2020)

• Coal-Fueled Power Plant (MidAmerican Energy 2013) [7 minutes]
• Combustion-Fueled Power Plant (MidAmerican Energy 2013) [7 minutes]
• How is Electricity Generated in Your State? (NYT 2019)
• The 'duck curve' is solar energy's greatest challenge (Vox 2018) [4 minutes]

Recommended:

• Electricity (Bill Nye the Science Guy 2012) [7 minutes]
• Lazard's Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis Version 14.0 (2020)
• Electricity is a Secondary Energy Source (EIA Electricity Explained)
• Nuclear and coal will account for majority of U.S. generating capacity retirements in 2021 (EIA Today in Energy 2021) 
• Renewables account for most new U.S. electricity generating capacity in 2021 (EIA Today in Energy 2021)
• Hourly electricity consumption varies throughout the day and across seasons (EIA Today in Energy 2020)

• Energy Storage 101 (Energy Storage Association 2019) [watch first 40 minutes]
• Why Tesla is building city-sized batteries (Verge Science 2018) [7 minutes]

Recommended: 

• Virtual Field Trip to the Tesla Gigafactory (The Verge 2018) [7 minutes]

• Uranium (NEED.org)
• Nuclear Energy Explained: How does it work? 1/3  (Kurzgesagt 2015) [5 minutes]
• 88,000 tons of radioactive waste - and nowhere to put it (Verge Science 2018) [7 minutes]
• The Eyes of Nye - Nuclear Energy [26 minutes]
• The Good Stuff: Is Nuclear Power Good or Bad? [14 minutes]

Recommended:

• 3 Reasons Why Nuclear Energy Is Terrible! 2/3 (Kurzgesagt 2015) [4 minutes]
• 3 Reasons Why Nuclear Energy Is Awesome! (Kurzgesagt 2015) [4 minutes]
• Spent Fuel Storage at Diablo Canyon Power Plant (PG&E 2011) [11 minutes]
• How nuclear energy works (ENECeducation 2009) [5 minutes]
• How is Uranium Mining Conducted in the United States? (NEI 2012) [5 minutes]
• Where Our Uranium Comes From (EIA 2017)
• Nuclear reactor restarts in Japan displacing LNG imports in 2019 (EIA Today in Energy 2019)
• In 2019, 9 of the 10 highest-generating US power plants were nuclear plants (EIA Today in Energy 2020)
• How two cutting edge US nuclear projects bankrupted Westinghouse (Reuters 2017)
• Toshiba offloads its memory chip arm with $18bn deal to ease woes (UK The Telegraph 2017)

• The missing puzzle piece for getting to 100% clean power (Vox 2020)
• How Do Electric Utilities Make Money? (AEE 2015)

Recommended:

• Big but affordable effort needed for America to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, Princeton study shows (Princeton 2015)
• How The U.S. Can Build A 100% Clean Grid (CNBC 2021) [20 minutes]

• How the Earth’s Climate Works and the Greenhouse Gas Effect (RedSnappa 2016) [6 minutes] 
• The Coming Storm of Climate Change (Bloomberg 2017) [3 minutes]
• Time-lapse proof of extreme ice loss - James Balog (TedEd 2013) [19 minutes] 
• Stephen Schneider – Climate One Montage (Stanford Woods Institute 2013) [7 minutes]
• The Business Case for Taking Action on Climate Change (Inc. 2017) 
• How You Can Stop Global Warming (NRDC 2017)
• Coronavirus Holds Key Lessons on How to Fight Climate Change (Yale Environment360 2020)
• The most effective ways to curb climate change might surprise you (CNN 2019)

Recommended:

• Science Tells Us How To Help US Citizens Accept Climate Change (CleanTechnica 2017)

• Stanford Energy Systems Innovations - SESI [4 minutes]
• Sustainability at Stanford 2019-2020 In Review

Recommended: 

• Climate Resilience Virtual Summit [1.5 hours]
• Stanford University Energy and Climate Plan (2015 ed.)
• Explore Energy Website (ways to engage at Stanford)
• Sustainable Stanford Fact Sheets

• How does Carbon Capture and Storage Work? (Australian Coal Association 2010) [5 min]
• Money is Pouring Into Carbon Capture Tech, But Challenges Remain (CNBC 2021) [17 min]
• How does a Fuel Cell Work? (Naked Science Scrapbook) [4 minutes]
• What is Green Hydrogen and Will It Power the Future? (CNBC 2021) [15 minutes]

Recommended:

• MIT Climate Action 4: Economy-wide deep decarbonization beyond electricity; Carbon mgmt. panel (Stanford 2020) 
• Green Hydrogen Plant in Saudi Desert Aims to Amp Up Clean Power (WSJ 2021)
• The global race to produce hydrogen offshore (BBC 2021)
• Dutch Students Just Unveiled the World's First Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft (RobbReport 2021)
• Mainspring Energy launches its flexible fuel generator with a $150 million NextEra Energy contract (Tech Crunch 2021)

• Sustainable Energy in America: Factbook (Bloomberg New Energy Finance 2021)

Recommended: 

• Renewables 2020 Global Status Report (REN21 2020) – recommend the Executive Summary and Ch. 1 [36 pages]
• U.S. Renewable Energy Factsheet Pub. No. CSS03-12 (Center for Sustainable Systems, University of Michigan 2020)

• MidAmerican Energy Hydroelectric Power Plant Virtual Tour (MidAmerican Energy 2013) [10 minutes]
• Three Gorges Dam Project (Ali Kazi 2012) [7 minutes]
• Where Hydropower is Generated (EIA Energy Explained) [1 page]
• Bill Gates backs 'game changer' hydropower technology in global energy transition (Recharge News 2020)

Recommended:

• REN21 Global Status Report 2020, Hydropower Chapter - pg. 98 (REN21 2020) [5 pages]

• Want People to Embrace Energy Efficiency Technology? Make it Sexy. (Huffington Post 2017)
• Guest Post: A Sexy Smart Grid vs. humble energy audits and efficiency retrofits (Scientific American 2013) 
• Creating the Next Energy Revolution: Integrative Design for Radical Energy Efficiency (Amory Lovins 2019) [2 pages]

Recommended:

• Removing Disincentives to Utility Energy Efficiency Efforts (NRDC 2012)

• U.S. ethanol exports fell for the first time in four years in 2019 (EIA Today in Energy 2020)
• Biomass (NEED.org)
• Growing California video series: Cow Power (California Department of Food and Agriculture 2015) [4 minutes]
• Algae-based Products for a Sustainable Future (Cellana 2012) [2 minutes]
• Increases in electricity production by biomass stop after a decade of growth (EIA Today in Energy 2019)
• REN21 Global Status Report 2020, Bioenergy Chapter (pg. 81)

Recommended:

• Whatever Happened to Advanced Biofuels? (Scientific American 2016)
• U.S. biomass-based diesel imports down for second consecutive year in 2018 (EIA Today in Energy 2019) 
• Biomass 101 (Student Energy 2015) [3 minutes]
• SMUD Dairy Digester Virtual Tour (SMUD) [10 minutes]

• Wind Energy (NEED.org) [4 pages]
• Why Oil Country is Turning to Wind Power | Overview (PBS Terra 2021) [9 minutes]
• How do wind turbines work? - Rebecca J. Barthelmie and Sara C. Pryor (TED-ED 2021) [5 minutes]
• MidAmerican Energy Wind Farm Virtual Tour (MidAmerican Energy Co 2013) [7 minutes]
• TPI Composites Blade Manufacturing Process (TPI Composites 2019) [2 minutes]
• Is offshore wind the energy of the future? (DW Planet A) [14 minutes]
• The Rise Of Wind Power In The U.S. (CNBC 2021) [17 minutes]
• Wind Turbine Farm Installation From Scratch | Engineering On Another Level (Quantum Tech HD 2020) [8 minutes]
• Power Plant Tours: Wind Farm (MidAmerican Energy Company 2013) [7 minutes] 
• From the Ground Up: Building our energy future, one turbine at a time (MidAmerican Energy Company 2015) [6 minutes]
• Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Wind Power (CleanTechnica 2020)
• Wind Turbine Technology and Operations Factbook - pg. 3-24 (E.ON 2013) 

Recommended:

• Wind Turbines (How It's Made 2016) [6 minutes]
• MidAmerican Energy Company - From the Ground Up: Building our energy future, one turbine at a time (MidAmerican Energy Co 2015) [5 minutes]

Great Wind Flow Websites:

• Wind Map
• Windy TV
• https://earth.nullschool.net/
• https://nrel.github.io/hsds-viz/

• How do solar panels work? (Ted Ed 2016) [5 minutes]
• California will require solar panels on all new homes. That’s not necessarily a good thing. (Vox 2018)

Recommended: 

• Solar (NEED.org) [4 pages]
• Solar Farm Virtual Tour (MidAmerican Energy 2013) [6 minutes]

• Geothermal (NEED.org) [4 pages]

Geothermal Energy:

• Geothermal energy is poised for a big breakout (Vox 2020)
• This Overlooked Energy Source Could Supply 50% of Electricity (CNC 2021) [15 minutes]
• Puna Geothermal Venture (KHON2 News) [5 minutes]
• Geothermal Energy Could Heat Homes And Reduce Our Dependence On Fossil Fuels (NBC News 2019) [5 minutes]
• The Earth itself could provide carbon-free heat for buildings (Vox 2020) [10 minute read]

Ground Source Heat Pump:

• Geothermal Energy Could Heat Homes and Reduce Our Dependence on Fossil Fuels (NBC 2019) [5 minutes]
• The Earth itself could provide carbon-free heat for buildings (Vox 2020)

Recommended:

• REN21 Global Status Report 2020, Geothermal Chapter (pg. 92)
• Nearly half of US geothermal power capacity came online in the 1980s (EIA Today in Energy 2019)
• History of The Geysers (50 years) (Calpine 2013) [8 minutes]
• Geothermal energy is renewable and powerful. Why is most of it untapped? (DW Planet A 2020) [10 minutes]
• Drilling surprise opens door to magma-powered electricity (Iceland Deep Drilling Project) (arsTechnica 2014)
• Geothermal Energy in the 21st Century: Unconventional EGS Resources (Forge Utah 2021) [33 minutes]
• How Does a Heat Pump Work? [4 minutes]
• GeoExchange Heating and Cooling [4 minutes]

• Energy 101: Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy (Energy.gov 2013) [3 minutes]
• Wave Energy Industry Growing (CBC/Radio-Canada 2015) [12 minutes] 
• Can Underwater Turbines Solve Our Energy Problems? (Real Engineering 2019) [14 minutes]
• How To Turn The Ocean Into A Battery (Answers With Joe 2020) [15 minutes] 
• Ocean Mechanical Thermal Energy Conversion (2019) [10 minutes]
• Just Have a Think: Small Modular Reactors - Are they now unavoidable? (2020) [16 minutes]
• Fusion Energy Explained (PHD Comics) [8 minutes] 

Recommended:

• Wave Engineering Converters: Challenges and Opportunities (Engineering with Rosie 2020) [10 minutes]
• Making the Most of Ocean Resources (Tidal Power - Alstom 2016) [3 minutes]
• Tidal Power 101 (Student Energy 2015) [2 minutes]
• The Holy Grail of Clean Energy (Bloomberg Quicktake 2019) [9 minutes]
• Is Nuclear Fusion the Answer to Clean Energy (CNBC 2019) [23 minutes]
• 5 Big Ideas for Making Fusion Power a Reality (IEEE Spectrum 2020)
• REN21 Global Renewable Status Report, Ocean Energy Chapter

• Mobility for all (TU Wien 2021) [5 minutes]
• Why American public transit is so bad: 2020 Election (Vox 2020) [10 minutes]
• Why China Is Beating the US in Electric Vehicles (CNBC 2021) [17 minutes]
• How Tesla, GM and Others Will Fix Electric Vehicle Range Anxiety (CNBC 2020) [14 minutes]
• Why The US EV Industry Is Facing a Battery Shortage (CNBC 2021) [14 minutes]
• Electric cars better for climate in 95% of the world (University of Cambridge 2020)

Recommended:

• This is what Peak Car looks like (Bloomberg Businessweek 2019) 
• Are Uber and Lyft Bad for Energy and Climate? (GreenTech Media 2019)
• States Sue to Block Trump From Weakening Fuel Economy Rules (NYT 2020)
• Are Electric Vehicles Really Better For The Environment? (Forbes 2019)
• Electric Cars Could Wreak Havoc on Oil Markets Within a Decade (Bloomberg 2016) [3 minutes]
• Why Big Oil Should Be Terrified of Tesla – Dead or Alive (Bloomberg 2016) [2 minutes]
• U.S. household spending for gasoline is expected to remain below $2,000 in 2017 (EIA Today in Energy 2017)
• Fuel economy improvements are projected to reduce future gasoline use (EIA Today in Energy 2017)
• Wait But Why: How Tesla Will Change the World (Part 2; Part 1 is also interesting!) - warning, long article.

• Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad (The White House 2021) 
• Clean Energy Plan - Policy & Action Recommendations (The State of North Carolina 2019) - The Executive Summary Only

Recommended:

• Policies that Work: How to Build a Low-Emissions Economy (ClimateWorks Foundation 2011)

For Reference:

• White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council Recommendations (2021)
• Fact Sheet: The American Jobs Plan (The White House 2021)

• Energy for Human Development (Breakthrough Institute 2016)
• Center for Global Development: More than a light bulb (Center for Global Development 2016) [2 minutes]
• Climate change has worsened global economic inequality (Stanford Earth Matters 2019)

• Catherine Mohr builds green (TED 2010) [9 minutes]
• 30-Story Building Built In 15 Days [3 minutes]
• In an Age of Cheap Solar Does Efficiency Still Matter? (RMI 2015)
• Energiesprong: Net Zero All Electric Retrofits in the Netherlands (VolkerWessels 2015) [3 minutes]

• Climate Change and Environmental Racism (PBS 2017) [26 minutes]
• Giovanna Di Chiro: Nature as Community - the Convergence of Environment and Social Justice (1996) [23 pages]
• Bullard, D. D., Gardezi, M., Chennault, C., & Dankbar, H. - Climate Change and Environmental Justice: A Conversation with Dr. Robert Bullard (2016)
• The Magic Washing Machine | Hans Rosling (TED 2011) [9 minutes]

Recommended:

• Impacts of Uranium Mining on Navajo Nation (Grand Canyon Trust 2017) [9 minutes]

There is no formal textbook for Understand Energy this year. However, we strongly recommend:

Webber, M. (2014) Energy 101: Energy, Technology and Policy. The University of Texas at Austin.

This e-book is an excellent primer on technology, economics and policy that is intended to complement the lectures and other readings, especially for those new to the world of energy. The book is available through the publisher's website and is periodically updated (at no additional cost).