Energy Technology Innovation Policy - Events - Harvard - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Analysis of Policies to Reduce Oil Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the U.S. Transportation Sector

Seminar
Open to the Public - Belfer Center Library, Littauer-369
June 10, 2009
10:30-12:00 p.m.

Speaker: W. Ross Morrow, Research Fellow, Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group, Kelly Sims Gallagher, Director, Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group

U.S. transportation policy is changing rapidly, motivated by concerns over climate change and energy security. Not only are economy-wide CO2 prices expected to soon be in place, but increasingly stringent performance-based standards are being proposed. Using the National Energy Modeling System, the Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group has analyzed the impact of economy-wide CO2 prices in combination with transportation sector specific policy options including transportation (fuel) taxes, extended fuel economy standards, and performance-based tax credits. The results suggest that the policy options currently considered will fail to meet the "17% of 2005" GHG emissions reduction target in the Waxman-Markey Bill, or even the Obama administration's "14% of 2005" GHG emissions target. Economy-wide CO2 prices motivate large reductions in CO2 emissions from the electrical power sector but do not, on their own, result in significant reductions in CO2 emissions from transportation. Transportation taxes appear to be the most effective option for reducing GHG emissions, largely because they reduce vehicle use in addition to improving vehicle technology. On the other hand, tax credits for alternative-fuel vehicles appear to be an expensive and ineffective path to reducing CO2 emissions from transportation.

Beverages will be provided. Please come ready to discuss...

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International Developments in Policy to Stimulate CCS & Other Low-carbon Power Generation: A Project Developer's Perspective

Seminar
Open to the Public - Belfer Center Library, Littauer-369
May 21, 2009
9:30-11:00 a.m.

Speaker: Adam Whitmore, Chief Economist, Hydrogen Energy International

Policymakers around the world are stepping up their efforts to stimulate deployment of low carbon technologies, including CCS. Policies include carbon pricing, tax incentives, feed-in-tariffs, tradable green certificates schemes, and may others. What can be learned from experience to date in different countries and the policies which are now being introduced? The seminar will include a review of policy measures in the North America, Europe, Australia, and elsewhere and consider how these might be developed in the future to most effectively meet the challenge of decarbonizing the world's economy. The seminar will also highlight the size of the challenge facing policymakers by examining two examples of developed economies that have adopted challenging targets (California and the UK) and the implications of this for the scale and timing of policy initiatives.

Policy Redesign Recommendations for Solving Financial Bottlenecks in Demand Side Management Activities in China

Seminar
Open to the Public - Belfer Center Library, Littauer-369
May 19, 2009
9:30-11:00 a.m.

Speaker: Yongzhen Yu, Visiting Scholar, ETIP

Demand Side Management (DSM) is one of the best and most practical policy tools for China to balance environmental protection and economic growth. U.S. experience, especially the cases of California and Vermont, offers inspiration for further progress in DSM of China. China was first introduced to the concept of DSM in the early 1990s, but the picture is very uneven and there is no clear policy for its broad uptake. In general, the bottleneck for expediting of DSM is the lack of long-term, stable, sufficient and gradually increasing funds to flow into DSM projects. The author redesigns the practical surcharge policy which will provide long-term and stable funding for DSM, the policy to facilitate the financial support from banking sector and capital market, and investigates the possibility of DSM funding from Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects.

Coal Supply and Cost Under Technological and Environmental Uncertainty

Seminar
Open to the Public - Belfer Center Library, Littauer-369
May 5, 2009
9:30-11:00 a.m.

Speaker: Melissa Chan, Research Fellow, Energy Technology Innovation Policy

Conventional U.S. energy planning presumes a ready supply of cheap coal and assumes that mining will continue as it has in the past - in shallow and thick seams. However, as these accessible resources are depleted, thin and deep seams will comprise our remaining resource. It will become more expensive and environmentally damaging to extract coal. This talk discusses future U.S. coal availability, resource estimate reliability, potential environmental damage and technologies to extract it in a more responsible manner.

The Early Cost of Carbon Capture and Sequestration

Seminar
Open to the Public - Fainsod Room, Littauer-324
April 28, 2009
9:30-11:00 a.m.

Speaker: Mohammed Al-Juaied, Visiting Scholar, Energy Technology Innovation Policy

Al-Juaied will review the economics of CCS, based on recent cost studies and actual project data.

Structuring an Energy Technology Revolution

Seminar
Open to the Public - Belfer Center Library, Littauer-369
April 23, 2009
10:00-11:30 a.m.

Speaker: Charles Weiss, Distinguished Professor of Science, Technology, and International Affairs at Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service, William B. Bonvillian, Director of the MIT Washington Office

Weiss and Bonvillian will discuss their book, Structuring an Energy Technology Revolution, in which they argue for a massive federal program to stimulate innovation in energy policy.

The Impact of Carbon Emission Constraints on Chinese Coal-Based Power Technologies

Seminar
Open to the Public - Belfer Center Library, Littauer-369
April 21, 2009
9:30-11:00 a.m.

Speaker: Xiaowei Xuan, Research Fellow, Energy Technology Innovation Policy

Xiaowei Xuan will present his research on the impact of carbon emission constraints on Chinese coal-based power technologies. Using a dynamic equilibrium (CGE) model, Xuan identified technologies the Chinese coal sector should adopt in order to meet its GHG reduction target, and at what carbon price these technologies will become cost-effective.

Climate Change Technology R&D Portfolio Analysis under Uncertainty

Seminar
Open to the Public - Kalb Seminar Room (Taubman 275)
April 9, 2009
12:00-1:30 p.m.

Speaker: Erin Baker, Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts – Amherst

The goal of the talk is to share research insights into the optimal investment into technology R&D as a response to climate change.

AP

The Clean Development Mechanism, Technology Transfer, and China's GHG Reductions

Seminar
Open to the Public - Belfer Center Library, Littauer-369
April 7, 2009
9:30-11:00 a.m.

Speaker: Bo Wang, Research Fellow, Energy Technology Innovation Policy

Bo Wang will discuss his research on how the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) has played out in China, with particular attention given to the role of technology transfer. Wang will also explore the different factors that affect the extent of CDM-related technology transfer, and he will suggest several ways that the CDM could be improved.

Scaling Energy Technologies: Historical Evidence & Applications

Seminar
Open to the Public - Belfer Center Library, Littauer-369
April 6, 2009
9:30-11:00 a.m.

Speaker: Charlie Wilson, Research Scholar, IIASA

Historical patterns of growth across a range of energy technologies are used to explore "scaling", and applications of findings from scaling dynamics will be discussed in this seminar.

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