Course Description

The world is in the early stages of a clean energy transition. In China and many other countries, a shift is underway from the energy sources that dominated the 20th century(coal and oil) to new sources. Global wind power capacity, for example, has more than doubled since 2015. Global solar power capacity has more than tripled in the same period. The number of electric vehicles on roads around the world has doubled in just the past two years. Yet one lesson from history is that energy transitions take time.Despite the recent growth in renewable energy and electric vehicles, fossil fuels currently provide more than 80% of primary energy worldwide. What does history teach us about energy transitions? What are the causes of the energy transition currently underway? Which technologies are most promising? How is the transition proceeding differently in different countries? What are the likely impacts of the transition? This course will explore these questions and more. The course will also focus on writing skills. Readings and lectures will provide guidance on how to write with the most impact in a professional setting. Each student will write a policy memo recommending an energy policy to a head of state or other governmental leader.

课程简介

世界正处于清洁能源转型的早期阶段。中国和其他许多国家正在从 20 世纪占主导地位的能源（煤炭和石油）转向新的能源。例如，自 2015 年以来，全球风力发电能力已经增加了一倍多。全球太阳能发电能力在同一时期增加了两倍多。在过去的两年里，全球路上电动汽车数量翻了一番。然而，历史的一个教训是，能源转型需要时间。尽管最近可再生能源和电动汽车数量有所增长，但化石燃料目前仍提供了全世界 80%以上的初级能源。关于能源转型，历史告诉我们什么？目前正在进行的能源转型的原因是什么？哪些技术是最有前途的？在不同国家，转型进展有什么不同？转型可能产生的影响是什么？本课程将围绕并不限于以上问题开展讨论。课程还将关注写作技巧。阅读和讲座将为如何在专业环境中写出最具影响力的文章提供指导。每个学生将写一份政策备忘录，向国家元首或其他政府领导人推荐一项能源政策。然后，学生将与教授合作，修改和完善备忘录。