image © Copyright Simon Johnston and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence

February 14, 2011, 6:00pm
Varsity Hall in Union South,
1308 West Dayton Street, Madison WI

Agenda:

5:30 PM – Doors open for registration
6:00-7:30 PM – Debate and Q&A session
7:30-8:30 PM – Discussion and networking

This event is free and open to the public.

Event Description: Does the flattening oil production in the past decade pose a serious risk that supplies of transportation fuel could fall short of demand and prices sharply increase as the world economy recovers and developing countries’ growth accelerates? “Peak Oil” is the phrase for the concern by some experts that oil production in all its forms will soon begin a permanent decline, a development that would have profound implications for our domestic economy, national security, and even world peace. Already the world is experiencing record oil prices—and market experts see much higher prices lurking on the near horizon. The severe oil shocks in 1973 and 1979 provide a preview of potential difficulties, which make this a threat too serious to ignore.

Other respected experts see hope for adequate oil production if measures are taken to turn loose new technologies for exploitation of previously inaccessible tight deposits and to open new production in under-developed areas.

Experts on both sides favor urgent measures to meet the challenges implicit in these view points, but the underlying realities have remained too complicated—or disturbing—for action in the political arena or even for serious debate. Madison now has the opportunity to participate in such a debate.

Debate Participants:

Dr. Tadeusz Patzek is Chair of the Department of Petroleum Geology at the University of Texas and is a board member of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil (ASPO-USA). Dr. Patzek is an authority on the world’s oil fields and the potential of technology to break through “mother nature’s limits” on fields’ ultimate production. While spending a lifetime facilitating petroleum production, he is pessimistic about the prospects for further major increases in world oil production.  Consequently, he favors urgent measures to restructure our economy and society to reduce our need for oil. Recently, Patzek served on the national commission to study the oil disaster in the Gulf. He authored a book (Drilling Down: the Gulf Oil Debacle and Our Energy Dilemma) discussing the disaster’s technical causes and the broader risks of ever more complex oil production.Quote from Dr. Patzek for the World Oil Supply Debate: “Our civilization is not about energy, but about power or energy expenditure per unit time.  In contrast, our social discourse is framed in terms of energy.  Within this framing the essential differences between accumulations of fossil fuels and uranium or thorium, and flows of solar energy (light, wind, tides, biomass) disappear.  This misunderstanding is at the core of the heated but generally uniformed discussion we have in our country about what would it take to wean ourselves from fossil fuels.  In the meantime, fossil fuels work ever harder in a modern society, and the weaning process will be extremely difficult.  In the U.S., we haven’t even started a broad, serious conversation about how to proceed to cut our use of power by half for starters.” – Dr. Tadeusz Patzek

John Hofmeister founded and heads Citizens for Affordable Energy, a public policy education non-profit promoting U.S. energy security solutions. He was President of Houston-based Shell Oil Company from 2005-2008, previously serving as Group Human Resource Director of the Shell Group based in The Netherlands. Hofmeister serves as the Chairman of the National Urban League, and he is a member of the U.S. Energy Security Council and the Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee.  He also serves on the boards of the National Energy Security Council, the Foreign Policy Association, the Gas Technology Institute, and the University of Houston Energy Advisory Board. Hofmeister is the author of Why We Hate the Oil Companies: Straight Talk from an Energy Insider.Quote from Mr. Hofmeister for the World Oil Supply Debate: “The U.S. is headed for an unprecedented energy abyss within the next five years, including blackouts, brownouts and gasoline lines because it has failed to address its energy needs in the 21st Century over the past four decades.  ‘Political time’ priorities continue to overwhelm ‘energy time’ priorities given the partisan perversity of both major parties, at the expense of the American people and our economic, energy and environmental future.” – John Hofmeister

… Debate Moderator:

Moderator: Dr. Alan Carroll has accepted the challenge of guiding the conversation through the factors governing future fuel supply to clearly identify the basis for differing production forecasts and policy recommendations. He will assure that our discussion is both substantively focused and fair to all participants. Carroll is a Professor of Geoscience at UW-Madison, specializing in petroleum geology. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, he serves on the Advisory Board for the Center for Oil Shale Technology and Research, and he is a member of the Technical Advisory Board for the American Shale Oil Company. Carroll is a member of UW-Madison’s Nelson Institute Energy and Policy Program and UW’s Energy Institute. He has contributed to carbon sequestration studies for Wisconsin and Minnesota, and his most recent book, Biofuels: A Passenger’s Guide to Energy from the Earth, will be published in 2012

Union South Location:

View Larger Map

Parking:
Union South underground lot (paid, very limited spaces available)
Lot 20 (paid, limited)
Lot 17 (free after 4:30 PM) – recommended
Campus Parking Map

Event Cosponsors:

Madison Committee on Foreign Relations

Madison Peak Oil Group

Energy Hub

Wisconsin Union Directorate
Society and Politics Committee

UW-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
Energy Analysis and Policy Certificate program

UW-Madison Energy Institute

UW-Madison Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy

Global Entrepreneurship Week, November 14-19, 2011, offers 6 days of networking, collaborative idea exchanges, entrepreneurial advice, and celebration of entrepreneurs. Events include:

Innovate N’ Caffeinate Kick-Off

Monday, November 14th, 1pm–4pm in the Entrepreneurs’ Resource Clinic at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery.

Entrepreneurial Deli

Tuesday, November 15th, 6pm–8pm in the Entrepreneurs’ Resource Clinic at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery

Wiscontrepreneur Whiteboard Challenge

Wednesday, November 16th, 6:30pm–9pm in the Entrepreneurs’ Resource Clinic at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery.

Gilson Bootstrapping Series: The Business Model Canvas

Thursday, November 17th, 5pm–7pm in the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery Town Center.

Environmental Innovation Past & Future

Friday, November 18th, 9am–11am at the Wisconsin Historical Museum on the Capitol Square.

Pre-register, limit 50.  Register online.

Startup Accelerator “Unconference”

Saturday, November 19th, 9am–4pm at the Entrepreneurs’ Resource Clinic at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery.

For more information, visit the UW-Madison Office of Corporate Relations website.

The 2011 eHub conference, held on Friday, November 4, 2011 brought together individuals from across the UW campus and energy industry to explore, discuss, and exchange ideas about solutions to energy challenges and opportunities to improve our electricity grid.

Thank you to everyone who attended. We hope you found the event engaging and educational.

Conference presentations are now available

A big thank you goes out to everyone who made this event possible, including our sponsors, listed here, and our advisors at the Wisconsin Public Utility Institute and Energy Institute.

• Madison Gas & Electric Co.
• Exelon Corporation
• Wisconsin Experience Grant
• Xcel Energy
• American Transmission Company
• Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative
• Wisconsin Public Service Corp/Integrys
• Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
• Wisconsin State Energy Office
• Organic Valley Family of Farms
• UW-Madison Office of Sustainability
• UW-Madison Business, Environment and Social Responsibility Program
• UW-Madison Department of Engineering Physics
• UW-Madison College of Letters and Science

 

Wednesday and Thursday, November 16th-17th, 2011 at the Fluno Center

Non-members: $75, Faculty and students: $25, Members: $50

Overview: Will nuclear power experience a renaissance in the U.S.? Will other countries take the lead in building new reactors? The March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant shone a spotlight on safety concerns over nuclear power. Yet safety is one of several important concerns that the nuclear power industry is encountering as it seeks to meet a growing demand for inexpensive, low-carbon energy around the world.

This summit, featuring nationally recognized experts on nuclear energy, will take a “big picture” look at some of the most pressing issues in nuclear power today, including cost, safety, spent fuel, and proliferation.

Presenters:

• Eric Loewen, President, American Nuclear Society
• Tom Cochran, retired – Natural Resources Defense Council
• Ashok Bhatnagar, retired – Tennessee Valley Authority
• Matt Dryden, AREVA
• Kristine Svinicki, Commissioner, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• Cathryn Carson, UC-Berkeley
• Chris Schoenherr, Wisconsin Dept. of Administration
• John Kotek, U.S. Dept. of Energy Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future
• Tom Sanders, Savannah River National Lab
• Laura Hermann, Potomac Communications

Final Agenda: http://wpui.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Nuclear-Final-Agenda.pdf

Registration: http://wpui.wisc.edu/?p=1525

Prof. Gregory Nemet
Assistant Professor of Public Affairs and Environmental Studies,
Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE)
and La Follette School of Public Affairs, UW–Madison

Thursday, October 20th,
4:15 – 5:15 p.m.
1800 Engineering Hall — 1415 Engineering Drive

Coffee, tea and cookies 4:00 – 4:15 p.m.
Complete lecture series schedule: http://sage.wisc.edu/weston/index.html

The Weston Roundtable series, co-sponsored by the Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE) and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, focuses on issues in sustainability science, technology, and policy. Each lecture includes significant time for Q&A and discussion and is preceded by tea, coffee and cookies.

All lectures are free and open to the public.

Registration for the 2011 Energy Hub conference is now CLOSED due to high demand for the limited space available.  Walk-in visitors may attend conference sessions on a space-available basis, but priority will be given to registered attendees.

The 2011 Conference, titled “Greening the Grid”, will explore the modern electricity grid and assess the opportunities for technology, business and policy innovations to improve grid reliability, security, efficiency, and affordability.  Speakers from across the nation will address a student audience and stick around to meet students and talk about energy careers.

Conference Agenda Link

Topics you’ll learn about at the conference:

• Smart Grid
• Electricity Grid Technology and Regulatory History
• Grid Security/Cyber-Security
• Renewable Energy Grid Integration
• Individual, community, institutional, industrial and utility-scale energy innovations
• The Future or Energy (long term, big picture) with Professional Futurist Garry Golden
• Energy Entrepreneurship, and more!

Student Energy Researchers: Present your energy research in poster form at the conference and receive $100.  Energy Hub wants to showcase student energy research at all levels – PhD or Master’s projects, capstone projects, senior design projects etc.   Students from all majors and areas of study are eligible to submit a poster, as long as their research has something to do with energy or environmental topics.  Submit a short research abstract here to get involved.  Posters should be 3′x4′ landscape-format or smaller, and a table and poster stand (tri-fold) will be provided. Poster Submission Deadline extended to Friday, October 28, 2011.

Energy Hub thanks our industry sponsors for helping make this event possible, and make it FREE for students!  Interested in learning how to find a career in the energy world? Meet our energy industry sponsor representatives at the conference and find out how they got started in energy, and what opportunities might be available at their companies.

2011 Sponsors:

• Madison Gas & Electric Co.
• Exelon Corporation
• Wisconsin Experience Grant
• Xcel Energy
• American Transmission Company
• Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative
• Wisconsin Public Service Corp/Integrys
• Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center
• Wisconsin State Energy Office
• Organic Valley Family of Farms
• UW-Madison Office of Sustainability
• UW-Madison Business, Environment and Social Responsibility Program
• UW-Madison Department of Engineering Physics
• UW-Madison College of Letters and Science

Click the image to register for this event which is free for students.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

1153 Mechanical Engineering

6:00pm

Join us at the Fall 2011 Energy Hub kickoff meeting! You’ll get a chance to hear more about what eHub does, what kinds of events are upcoming, and how to get involved. Then, Scott Williams of the Energy Institute will speak about the present and future of UW-Madison’s energy research, education, and opportunities for student participation. After that, we’ll have an open forum to discuss ideas and events you would like to see from eHub in the coming year.

All students, undergraduate and graduate, of all majors, are encouraged to come enjoy pizza and check out what eHub has to offer.

The outreach presentations were a great, fun opportunity to increase energy literacy amongst elementary school students, but also to learn a thing or two from the mind’s eye of elementary schoolers.

Event Webpage
Sponsored by the UW Energy Institute, the WAGE Governing Global Energy Collaborative, the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), and the European Union Center for Excellence (EUCE)

To understand where carbon emissions come from and what to do about them, we need to understand four distinct yet interconnected factors: population, economic growth, energy intensity (or economic energy efficiency), and carbon content of energy generation. These four factors, when multiplied together, can tell us how much carbon a single country is sending to the atmosphere and how much it might emit in the future.

Knowing something about each of these four factors can also help us understand what options are available to reduce carbon emissions on a global scale. In this four-part lecture series, we will examine each component as a launching point for a more in-depth discussion of global energy and environmental policy.

All lectures will take place at 4:15 p.m. in Room 1106 Mechanical Engineering (map)

• Thursday, February 17:
  “From Energy Use to Emissions: What Environmental Benefits Can Be Achieved Near-Term?” (Click here for video webcast)
  • Markus Amann, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
• Thursday, March 10:
  “Economic Energy Intensity: Complexities, Implications, and Controversies”
  • Chris Green, McGill University
• Tuesday, April 5:
  “Managing Without Growth: Slower by Design, Not Disaster”
  • Peter Victor, York University
• Thursday, April 28:
  “Population Growth and Climate Change”
  • Paul Murtaugh, Oregon State University

For more information, contact Scott Williams by e-mail or (608) 890-2199.

Registration requested. Click here to register.

Theoretical Background: The Kaya Identity

The theme of this lecture series is based on the Kaya Identity – a formula used to calculate the human contribution to carbon dioxide emissions. The picture below illustrates this formula.

A similar concept is the IPAT equation:
I=PxAxT, or Environmental Impact = Population x Affluence x Technology

Useful links on the Kaya Identity and IPAT Equation:

• Wikipedia article on Kaya Identity
• Online Kaya Identity calculator (provided by Wired Magazine)
• Simple Kaya Identity forecasting model (provided by Prof. David Archer, University of Chicago)
• IPAT Equation Explained