The Future of Energy

In an era defined by rapid technological advancement, rising global tensions, escalating environmental concerns and the quest for sustainable energy, our nation’s future hinges on strategic investments in the energy sector. Petroleum engineering enrollment and other disciplines related to subsurface energy resources like petroleum geology and the resulting degrees granted are greatly affected by oil and gas prices, and the changes ...

What is the cost of going green? Actually no one really knows for sure and it depends on the scope of the transition. But a recent study by the consultancy, McKinsey & Company said this: “We found that if you look at those (energy) systems today, we’re spending about $5.7 trillion (annually) on both high-emissions spending (gas power or internal-combustion-engine-based vehicles) and some low-emissions spending. Under a transiti...

A carbon market is a specialized type of financial market. Carbon markets facilitate the purchase and sale of carbon credits. Carbon credits are essentially permits that allow the purchaser to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. Some carbon markets are run and regulated by governments or international bodies, with certain industries required to participate, while others are entirely voluntary. Carbon ...

Decarbonizing the world’s electricity supply will take more than solar panels and wind turbines. EVs need on-board batteries and grid-scale storage is required to solve the intermittency problems with their alternate energy sources. Batteries are going to be a critical element in the net-zero energy chain. The critical minerals that will be needed for all those batteries is going to require a lot of new sources for lithium, graphit...

The oil and gas industry is under increasing pressure to stop leaks of methane from their production operations. We read a lot about increasing regulations but in this episode we will talk to several experts about what the oil and gas industry is doing in response to the new laws. There is an interesting technology story here as well. Emerging technology from satellites, to planes and drones to sensors placed around a production fa...

To find the first geothermal power plant in the world you have to go to Tuscany, Italy in the early twentieth century. The creation of the first geothermal power plant was thanks to Prince Piero Ginori Conti of Trevignano. Conti initially worked for his father-in-law Florestano de Larderel in the processing of boric acid. It was through this work that Conti eventually found his way into geothermal energy with the creation of the fi...

Geothermal energy is gaining traction as oil and natural gas majors funnel substantial investments into startups and projects that use drilling techniques akin to fracking to harness underground heat for clean power generation. Fervo Energy has recently announced a $244 million funding round, led by investors including Devon Energy and commodity trader Mercuria, while startups Eavor Technologies and Sage Geosystems have received ba...

What is the role of AI in the future of Energy?You read about artificial intelligence or AI every day. But I was surprised that Ai could be a factor in the energy transition, both as a sophisticated way of developing new solutions and optimizing current processes but also as a new source of growing energy demand with the new data centers and computing chips that are very energy-hungry. Data centers are not what they used to be befo...

Sometimes we worry too much about emerging technologies that we forget that there are powerful natural solutions as well, say like photosynthesis that takes carbon dioxide and water out of the air and converts it into chemical energy. Plants, especially hard wood trees, are the superheroes of the carbon cycle. The water cycle is essential for life. The problem is when human activity gets in the way of the earth’s processes that are...

Welcome to the Future of Energy podcast brought to you by the University of Southern California Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition. On this podcast we dive into the technologies, policies, and bold ideas shaping our transition to a low carbon future. In this episode we are joined by a visionary entrepreneur who is transforming the future of energy, Teague Egan founder and CEO of Energy X. Since founding the company in 2018, Egan...

Welcome to the Future of Energy podcast brought to you by the University of Southern California Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition. On this show we explore the people, ideas, and innovations driving our transition to a sustainable low carbon future. This episode features an extraordinary guest whose influence in climate leadership spans decades- Terry Tamminen. From advising Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on environmental policy...

Sometimes we worry too much about emerging technologies that we forget that there are powerful natural solutions as well, say like photosynthesis that takes carbon dioxide and water out of the air and converts it into chemical energy. Plants, especially hard wood trees, are the superheroes of the carbon cycle. The water cycle is essential for life. The problem is when human activity gets in the way of the earth’s processes that are...

While clean energy goals are critical, environmental groups have expressed their concerns around the environmental damage that would occur as a result of an increase in mining in the U.S. In addition to the lasting environmental harm, mining activities disproportionately affect Indigenous communities. According to a notable MSCI study, many of the transition mineral deposits in the U.S. are located near or within culturally or envi...

Our second episode on the critical topic of Just Transition is with Dr. Richard Luarkie, the newly named director of the Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty initiative, or NAMES) at the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. Dr. Luarkie is a member of the Laguna Pueblo nation from central New Mexico. Talking to Dr. Luarkie helps us to take on a different perspective to the future of energy and ...

“Energy won't end poverty, but we can't end poverty without energy." We can’t forget about the communities and people that will be affected by the energy transition. The concept of “just transition” has been around since the 1980s, when it was used in a movement by US trade unions to protect workers affected by new water and air pollution regulations.  In recent years, the concept has gained traction with reference to meeting clima...

Despite its characteristics as a clean energy source, nuclear energy has not been a priority in the energy transition to date. Countries like Germany have shut down their last nuclear plants despite of the loss of pipeline natural gas from Russia and the US has been on a similar path with the Palisades and Diablo Canyon power plant closure decision as an example. You mention nuclear power and most people think of nuclear accidents ...

Industrial processes like the manufacture of steel, cement, fertilizers and petrochemicals, especially plastics, account for one-third of our global energy use. The world now produces annually about 4.5 billion tons of cement, 1.8 billion tons of steel, nearly 400 million tons of plastics, and 180 million tons of ammonia. Their manufacture requires high temperatures, which is often the case, the heat comes from burning fossil fuels...

Many universities study the topic of the future of energy or the energy transition as a policy issue or from research in environmental science. USC is adding another facet with a look at energy systems from the aspect of business. Dr.  Shon Hiatt from the Marshall School of Business at USC is our next guest on the podcast. Dr. Hiatt is the director of the Business of energy transition initiative. His new course looks at traditional...