Understand

Energy

CEE 107A / 207A

ENERGY 107A / 207A
EARTHSYS 103

3 – 5 UNITS
WAY-SI

LECTURE
FIELD TRIPS
Understand Energy Field Trip to NextEra Altamont Pass Wind
WORKSHOP Farm, May 16, 2019. Photo Credit: Diana Gragg

The 5th unit With Diana Gragg, Kirsten Stasio, and Jane Woodward
(optional)
-0- More information: https://understand-energy-course.stanford.edu/
 Understand Energy Teaching Team
INSTRUCTORS
PROGRAM MANAGER

Diana Gragg Kirsten Stasio Jane Woodward

Justine Dachillle

TEACHING ASSISTANTS

We also bring in guest

Emily Blackwell Dhruv Choudhary Scott Underwood lecturers who are
leaders in their fields
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Instructor bios: https://understand-energy-course.stanford.edu/instructors
 Understand Energy Course Topics

CROSS- SEMI- CROSS-

FOSSIL ELECTRICITY NUCLEAR RENEWABLE END USE
CUTTING RENEWABLE CUTTING

Energy Intro to Nuclear Energy

Generation Intro to Renewable Energy Buildings
Transition Fossil Fuels Fission Efficiency

Transmission
Energy Nuclear Energy Developing
Oil Industry & Biomass Transportation
Basics Fusion Efficiency World
Markets

Energy & A Decarbonized

Natural Energy
Climate Electric Power Hydro Wind
Gas Policy
Change Sector

Energy Carbon
Coal Energy Storage Geothermal Solar
Equity Capture

Energy at
Ocean Hydrogen
Stanford

See Canvas calendar for specific lecture topics and order

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 Understand Energy Lecture Content
Core Topics for Each Energy Resource and End Use Sector

History Significance Potential

Policy &
Terminology Technology
Regulation

Geographic Drivers & Environmental Trends &

Distribution Barriers Impact Outlook

Other
Industry Economics Value Resources
& SU classes

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 Recipe for Success in Understand Energy

Reading/video before lecture
Lecture slides and notes
X
0
Attend and Participate in
Lecture (live, extra credit)
8 Homework Sets – drop the lowest score

Approximately 1/week in
lecture– winner gets a prize!

Midterm Final Attend 2 off-campus field trips and write 2 reports Energy in the News assignment

Workshop – the 5th unit

All about Attend, Participate, Short Paper
ME slide
Office Hours, Slack 2 page
Attend 1 on-campus field trip Extra Credit for HW Q’s Paper
during regular class time
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 Math Review Sheets / Math Review Sessions

n No prerequisites for this class, but you will have some math and unit
conversions on your homework assignments
n If you’re feeling rusty or need extra help – we’ve got resources for you!

Justine will be holding Math

Review Sessions on Wednesday
mornings 9:15 – 10:15am, Y2E2
372 (starting week 2)

We have put together Math

Review Sheets (posted on
Canvas) for additional help for
your homework assignments

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 Understand Energy Field Trips

“It’s time to take chances, make

mistakes, get messy!”
- Ms. Frizzle

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 Lodi Energy Center

Lodi Energy Center (LEC) is a state-of-the-art 300MW combined cycle natural gas power
plant located in the northern California – the first in the nation with “fast-start” gas-
turbine technology. It uses wastewater for cooling water and is investigating converting
to
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a hydrogen/natural gas facility
 Black Diamond Mines

Black Diamond Mines was the

site of California’s most
productive coal mine in the
late 1800’s into the 1900’s and
was a major source of glass-
making and foundry sands.
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 NextEra Wind Farm

Visit a wind farm in Altamont pass

and get up close to a wind turbine.

NextEra Energy (with its affiliated

entities) is the largest producer of
wind and solar energy in the U.S.
and a world leader in battery
storage.

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 Tesla Fremont Factory

Tesla’s first manufacturing site and one of the world’s most

- 10 - advanced automotive plants, with 5.3 million square feet of
manufacturing and office space on 370 acres of land.
 The world’s most precise and reproducible laser system which
recently achieved nuclear fusion scientific breakthrough (Q>1)

Lawrence Livermore National Lab - NIF

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 UC Davis

Renewable Energy Anaerobic Digester (READ)

CA Lighting Technology
Center (CTLC)

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 Off-Campus Field Trip Locations

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 Stanford Local Field Trip
(On-Campus, During Lecture Time)

Arrillaga Codiga
Energy Resource
Efficiency Recovery
Central Carnegie Upgrade Parking Center
Energy Green And
Facility Building Transportation
Services

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 Understand Energy Workshop — the 5th Unit
Mondays 12:30 – 1:50 pm, Y2E2 270
Interactive group discussion with
in-class group work

Possible Topics Include:

Energy and Climate Resilience / Adaptation
Clean Energy Funds and the role of Green Banks
Carbon Pricing: Cap and Trade / Carbon Tax
Energy Storage Technologies
EnRoads: Technology to the Rescue
Virtual Power Plants (VPPs)
Air Quality and Human Health
Energy and Sustainability
Transportation Policies / Unintended Consequences

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 Understand Energy Grade Breakdown
3-Unit Option 4-Unit Option 5-Unit Option
Homework 28% Homework 25% Homework 20%
Field Trip 10% Field Trips 17% Field Trips 12%
Midterm Exam 28% Midterm Exam 25% Midterm Exam 20%
Final Exam 34% Final Exam 33% Final Exam 28%
Workshop 20%
Extra Credit 0.5% Extra Credit 0.5% Extra Credit 0.5%
Extra Credit Participation 0.5% Extra Credit Participation 0.5% Extra Credit Participation 0.5%

• First Homework: Due Friday Oct 6, 5 pm - Submit online in Gradescope via Canvas. We encourage
you to work together, but you must do your own work – see Homework Policy document on
Canvas for details
• Field Trip Survey: Due by Wednesday, Oct 11th @ 5pm
• Midterm Exam: Open note/open book/not ”open other people” take home exam due Friday, Oct
27, at midnight
• Final Exam: In-person Monday Dec 12 3:30 – 6:30 pm, will offer an early final on last day of class, it
is closed book but you can bring one single sheet (double sided) handwritten note page
• Extra Credit: A ppt slide about you updated from HW1 due at the end of the quarter; participation
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in class, on field trips
 Understand Energy – Stay Connected!

“I often come across the Energy

Resources acronyms and am
frequently grateful for my broad
background in energy from your
classes. Thanks for making my time at
Stanford so memorable.” – Alumni,
Navient Consulting, 2017

“The experiences we had on the China trip and on all of the Energy Resources field trips are some of
the top highlights of my time at Stanford. They helped me gain perspective on the energy systems
currently in place at both local and global levels and the changes we need to make to become a
sustainable society. I am incredibly grateful for the impact that you’ve had on my life and career.” –
Alumni, Silura Technologies
“I took Energy Resources way back in the fall of 2009. It was one of the best classes I
ever took in my school career. It was instrumental in driving my passion to
continue to develop solutions to climate change in the built environment.”
– Alumni, Carbon Lighthouse, 2017

This course has been taught for 30+ years – giving you access to an extensive alumni
network in the energy and environmental fields. Join our LinkedIn Group!
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 Part of the Understand Energy Family…
Undergrad 38%
Grad 62% We are a diverse group

Other:
Aeronautics & Astro
Anthropology
Biology
Design
East Asian Studies
Engineering
Envir Systems Engr
ERE
International Relations
Law
Materials Science & Engr
Math & Comp Science

Learn from us, learn from each other, and get excited about Understand Energy!

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 Why do we teach Understand Energy?

Energy is the biggest contributor to climate change

and has many other social and environmental impacts.

Understanding energy leads to Better Decisions

– personally and professionally

We are passionate about providing the context, technical

understanding, and foundation for understanding energy systems
and their political, economic, and social implications
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 A Word about Information Sources for Understand Energy
Information for the lectures in this class come from a wide variety of sources.
• BIAS: Each has its own perspective, motivation, methodology, definitions, units, and necessary caveats.
• GAPS: Getting accurate data is often hard. Check the fine print and notes to know what assumptions were made.
• CITATION: We cite data sources to the greatest extent possible. Below are examples – not comprehensive.

Government and Intergovernmental Organizations

Other Major Government Sources

Non-Profit Organizations

Commercial Sources

Industry Trade Organizations

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 Our Favorite Energy News Sources
One of our favorites: Axios Generate daily newsletter
Other good resources:
n Canary Media
n Vox
n The American Energy Society’s newsletter
n Utility Dive
n Greentech Media
n CleanTechnica
n EIA's Email Subscriptions (in particular, their "Today in Energy")
n The "Energy" section of the Wall Street Journal
n Law360 - their Energy and Environment daily digests
n Politico's Morning Energy
n The Hill’s Energy and Environment newsletter (for US energy policy)
n
- 21 - Energy/environmental news from the NYT, WashPo, The Economist, Bloomberg, etc.
 Check out the Bianca Patel
Explore Energy Assistant Director
Seminar!

Wahila Wilkie
Program Manager

Sign up for the

Explore Energy
Newsletter!

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http://explore-energy.stanford.edu/ Joyce Lee
Program Manager
 Explore Energy
Electric Vehicle Expo
with Acterra
- Extra Credit!

https://events.stanford.edu/event/evs_and_ice_cream

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 Appendix

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 Participation in Lecture and on Field Trips

n Goal:
– Be engaged, have fun, learn more
– Try out your thoughts in a supportive environment
n How?
– State your name for TA’s to record (in lecture)
– Raise your hand, contribute to discussion
– Provide Energy in the News at the beginning of lecture
– Give a summary / perspective for the class on a field trip you’ve attended
– Ask well-thought-out questions on field trips
– Find us cool, short energy videos
n We welcome your questions – but we want you to go beyond asking questions. We want you
to contribute your thoughts and perspectives to the discussion. You do not need to say
something every lecture to get full participation points. We want you to be engaged. J
n Any questions or concerns – reach out to your TAs or to Diana Gragg (DM on Slack or
moongdes@Stanford.edu)

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