Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs - Energy efficiency and conservation

DOE FY09 Budget Request for Energy Research, Development & Demonstration – Commentary

Laura Diaz Anadon, Kelly Sims Gallagher and Matthew Bunn — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:52:42 -0500

Anadon, Gallagher, and Bunn offer their insight and analysis on the President's FY09 budget request for U.S. Department of Energy spending for energy research, development, and demonstration.

Electrification of Energy

Juha Kiviluoma and Gustavo Collantes — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

The Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government organized a workshop on the Electrification of Energy.

Free: College Curriculum Package Simulates Oil Crisis

Eric Rosenbach — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:00:54 -0500

Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE), in collaboration with the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, has created a free college curriculum box set that includes all of the materials needed to conduct an energy crisis simulation in your classroom. The exercise is based on Oil ShockWave™, SAFE's one-of-a-kind oil crisis simulation, which has featured participants such as Defense Secretary Robert Gates, former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Dan Yergin and former director of the CIA R. James Woolsey.

Giving Green to Get Green: Incentives and Consumer Adoption of Hybrid Vehicle Technology

Kelly Sims Gallagher and Erich Muehlegger — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 21:30:48 -0600

Federal, state and local governments use a variety of incentives to induce consumer adoption of hybrid-electric vehicles. The authors study the relative efficacy of state sales tax waivers, income tax credits and non-tax incentives and find that the type of tax incentive offered is as important as the value of the tax incentive.

Science and Technology for Sustainable Well-Being

John P. Holdren — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 21:29:19 -0600

"I would urge every scientist and engineer with an interest in the intersection of S&T with sustainable well-being...to 'tithe' 10% of your professional time and effort to working in these and other ways to increase the benefits of S&T for the human condition and to decrease the liabilities. If so much as a substantial fraction of the world's scientists and engineers resolved to do this much, the acceleration of progress toward sustainable well-being for all of Earth's inhabitants would surprise us all."

Meeting the Climate-Change Challenge

John P. Holdren — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:48:28 -0600

John P. Holdren presented the John H. Chafee Memorial Lecture on Science and the Environment on January 17, 2008, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. Holdren's lecture was presented during the 8th National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment: Climate Change: Science and Solutions, organized by the National Council for Science and the Environment.

The Chafee Memorial Lecture is presented in memory of the late Senator John Chafee of Rhode Island, who was a champion of bipartisan, scientific approaches for protecting the environment.

Using Emission Fees to Curb Greenhouse Gases: A Primer

Joseph Aldy — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600

"Any serious effort to address anthropogenic climate change will require giving the private sector a financial incentive to reduce emissions. Firms and consumers currently pay nothing to emit carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases. If we want to reduce the harmful effects of such gases on our environment, this free ride for pollution must come to an end...."

Global Climate Disruption: What Do We Know? What Should We Do?

John P. Holdren — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600

"Global warming is a misnomer," said John P. Holdren, speaking at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum at the Kennedy School on November 6. "It implies something gradual, uniform, and benign. What we’re experiencing is none of these."

Holdren also urged the United States to spearhead this effort, going from being a "laggard in climate policy to being a leader." Once that happens, he said, the rest of the world will follow suit.

Professor John P. Holdren Interviewed on the Response of U.S. Business to Climate Change

John P. Holdren — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program Director John P. Holdren was interviewed for "Ahead of the Curve: Business Responds to Climate Change", a Sea Studios Foundation video about how U.S. corporations are responding to the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining competitiveness and profitability.

Professor John P. Holdren Moderates the Energy & Climate Panel at the 2007 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting

John P. Holdren — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500

John P. Holdren, director of the Belfer Center's Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program, moderated the Energy & Climate panel "Stabilizing the Climate: Pathways to Success" at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting in New York on September 27, 2007.

The Changing Face of Energy Security

Joseph S. Nye — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0500

"...the oil-supply problem has become worse and energy security more complex."

Power to People: The Inside Story of AES and the Globalization of Electricity

Peter Grose — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Power to People is the story of electricity privatization, expanding global markets, and the transformation of an industry. It is also proof of the electrifying combination of innovation and good citizenship.

A Joint Workshop on IGCC & Co-Production and CO2 Capture & Storage

Lifeng Zhao — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Report on a workshop jointly organized by the Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Tariff-Based Incentives for Improving Coal-Power-Plant Efficiencies in India

Ananth Chikkatur, Ambuj Sagar, Nikit Abbyankar and N. Sreekumar — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Energy Policy article assessing the efficiency of coal-based power plants and its role in the performance of India's power sector.

Power to the People

Calestous Juma — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Innovation can help secure the universal access to modern energy and sustainability that Africa so sorely needs, says Calestous Juma.

Energy Policy Recommendations to the President and the 110th Congress

John P. Holdren, William K. Reilly, John W. Rowe, Philip Sharp and Jason Grumet — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500

The National Commission on Energy Policy proposes revised policies regarding a cap and trade proposal for addressing global climate change, increases in fuel economy standards, approaches for the storage of nuclear waste, development and deployment of advanced coal technologies, adoption of a national renewable energy standard, and other major energy policy issues.

Ending the Energy Stalemate: A Bipartisan Strategy to Meet America's Energy Challenges

John P. Holdren, William K. Reilly, John W. Rowe, Philip Sharp and Jason Grumet — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 00:00:00 -0600

The report contains detailed policy recommendations for addressing oil security, climate change, natural gas supply, the future of nuclear energy, and other long-term challenges, and is backed by more than 30 original research studies.

Public Policy for Energy Technology Innovation: A Historical Analysis of Fluidized Bed Combustion Development in the USA

Vicki Norberg-Bohm — Mon, 30 Sep 2002 00:00:00 -0500

This paper analyzes the role of public policy in the development of atmospheric fluidized bed combustion (AFBC) of coal for power generation in the United States. AFBC is at present a mature technology for power generation up to the size of 250 MW. The technology has mainly been used by cogenerators and independent power producers, rather than by utilities. The trends in development are explained by an interaction of supply and demand factors. On the supply side, the two key factors were the early government-sponsored demonstration plants and the subsequent introduction of advanced designs by the private sector. On the demand side, the key elements were the enactment of the Public Utilities Regulatory Policy Act and the characterization of AFBC as one of the best available technologies to comply with environmental standards.

Creating Incentives for Environmentally Enhancing Technological Change: Lessons from 30 Years of U.S. Energy Technology

Vicki Norberg-Bohm — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 -0600

Due to the externalities associated with energy production and consumption, public policy is necessary to provide a stimulus for the development and diffusion of more environmentally sound energy technologies. Based on an in-depth history of technological development for four electric power technologies, this paper draws lessons for the design of future policies to promote innovation in energy technologies.

Public Roles in the Development of the New Energy Technologies: The Case of Wind Turbines

Vicki Norberg-Bohm — Mon, 30 Nov 1998 00:00:00 -0600

Public Roles in the Development of the New Energy Technologies: The Case of Wind Turbines