Challenges of the Energy Transition

Course goals

Content

This course provides a broad non-technical background to the energy transition for Energy Science students and other students interested in the topic. It builds on the understanding the energy transition is a system transition and it puts challenges central. While focus is on ‘the energy transition’, the plural in the title of the course reflects the fact that there have been energy transitions before, and that – within the present energy transition – there are mini transitions worthy of our attention.

The first four lectures are devoted to past energy transitions, a big-picture introduction to the current energy system and the use of scenarios to come to grips with uncertain future transition processes. In the subsequent lectures, the system change challenge is broken down into challenges for investors, for policy makers and for society at large, using PESTLE and TECOP as analytic frameworks. Investor challenges will be considered through Technical, Commercial and Operational lenses. Next, the Political, Economic, Environmental, Legal and Social lenses inform the challenges of policy makers and for society at large.
 

Assessment:

Students will take turns in summarizing the reading material and introducing a discussion on the topic. This will be graded poor, satisfactory, good, excellent, and used to round the grade for the essay.

2500 word essay on “pros, cons and consensus” concerning a technology, issue, …, within the broad encompass of the energy transition. Students will work in pairs. The students will do the research for their essay during the full course period when the students will receive instruction and coaching. The final write-up is done towards the end and/or during the exam week.