About the EI

At the end of the 20th century, approximately 80% of global energy consumption was derived from fossil fuels (oil, coal, and gas), while only a small percent was derived from renewable sources.  The US consumes approximately one fourth of the world’s energy even though it has only a few percent of the world’s population.  Furthermore, the US imports a significant amount of the energy it uses for transportation from politically unstable and occasionally hostile nations.  Finally, the evidence that continued widespread combustion of fossil fuels for energy will result in serious and potentially catastrophic climate change is overwhelming.  To avoid the numerous negative consequences associated with predominant fossil fuel use, the nation and world must change in dramatic ways in the 21st century.  The Energy Initiative at the University of Colorado-Boulder was created to focus the attention and abilities of the campus on the many complicated issues that must be addressed to allow a successful transition from an economy based on fossil fuels to one based on Renewable and Sustainable Energy (R&SE).

My goals as interim faculty director for CU’s Energy Initiative are:

• to identify, coordinate, encourage and promote the numerous existing activities on the Boulder Campus that are related to R&SE;
• to encourage CU faculty from all colleges, schools and disciplines to become involved in R&SE research and educational activities that will:
• accelerate development and commercialization of carbon-free energy sources, energy efficient technologies, and non-wasteful energy utilization practices,
• provide educational opportunities and training for CU students that will allow them to pursue the myriad of employment opportunities that will result as the US shifts from dependence on fossil fuels to increasing reliance on R&SE;
• to develop resources and mechanisms that result in a significant increase in the number and depth of interactions between CU faculty, staff and students with scientists and other personnel at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory;
• to work with appropriate campus offices and administrators to promote efficient energy use at the University and, when possible, utilize renewable energy sources;
• to engage the entire campus in discussions about the importance of R&SE for the nation and world, primarily by creating and advertising seminar programs and symposia;
• to develop resources and processes whereby additional faculty and other research personnel with interests in a broad range of topics related to R&SE are added to the campus community;
• to increase the dialog on matters related to R&SE between our campus and Colorado citizens, organizations, businesses and legislators.

Click here to learn about the Director of the Energy Initiative