The Office of International Affairs presented the first in a series of monthly seminars concerning global energy usage and climate change Tuesday night in Withers Hall.
“The Global Thirst for Energy” included speakers from various University programs including the forestry and environmental resources, the University’s Office of Sustainability and various engineering departments.
Each speaker gave 10-minute presentations, and the seminar concluded with an interactive session with the audience. The speakers answered a variety of questions ranging from the lack of energy conservation in the U.S. to the political and agricultural impacts of using ethanol as biofuel.
The next seminar in the series, “Natural Disasters and Global Climate Change,” will be held on Oct. 19.
David Dean, outreach coordinator for the Office of Sustainability, unveiled the University sustainability plan, which will be released by November.
“The University plans to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 and is drawing out a climate action plan for this purpose. The plan is being drawn with a five-year and 40-year overview,” Dean said, reinforcing the University’s commitment to a 5 percent reduction in energy consumption for this year, and for reducing water use levels by 20 percent in compliance with North Carolina law.
He also shared new data on the University’s energy source distribution. The latest information for 2009-10 shows that natural gas meets over half (52.3 percent) of the University’s energy needs, followed by electricity at 43.4 percent and oil accounting for 4.3 percent.
John Gilligan, professor of nuclear engineering, said five faculty members are currently working in national laboratories. Gilligan also spoke about the growing opportunities for students in nuclear engineering, as well as shaping nuclear-related policy issues globally.
The University’s nuclear engineering program is routinely ranked among the top in the nation, and it is a vital part of the U.S. nuclear engineering industry, Gilligan said.
Joseph DeCarolis, assistant professor of water resources and environmental engineering, started his presentation by focusing on the “positives rather than negatives.”
“As global supply peaks, and eventually decreases, prices are likely to remain high. Solving climate change is going to require fundamental changes in how we produce energy,” DeCarolis said.
DeCarolis’ research focuses on interdisciplinary aspects of technology and public policy concerning climate change and mitigation.
“A key element of my research program is to develop computational models of various energy systems, primarily in the context of the U.S.,” DeCarolis said.
The optimization models compare various technologies’ portfolios and study the competition among existing and upcoming renewable technologies for energy production.
