Where: Room 323 Barrows Hall at the Energy and Resource Group

Please join us for our weekly lunch seminar:

Brief summary: Mark Fulton is the director of global change investments at Deutsche Bank. In this role, he directs not only investments but also analysis activities around emerging clean energy technologies and policy support (DB has been every active in steering policy around Feed in Tariffs and on carbon pricing) on a global basis.

Where: Room 323 Barrows Hall at the Energy and Resource Group

Please join us for our weekly lunch seminar:

Brief summary: The 'Virtual Plug-in Test Drive' system allows the users to experience a virtual, customized test drive of a Plug-in vehicle using their smart phones or Laptops. Recent research suggests that the citizens' understanding of plug-in vehicles is insufficient to support them in buying these new energy-saving vehicles. While a multi-day test drives will be the ideal means to educate citizens about these vehicles, providing millions of such test drives is impractical. The Virtual Test Drive Project, which has two pilot vehicles already on the road, attempts to overcome this gap. 

Our system pulls real-time driving information from user's vehicle using a cellular telematics device or smart phone every minute. It then “translates” this data into virtual performance for a variety of plug-ins (such as a Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt). The user can visits a website that visualizes what their driving day *would have been*, had they been driving a plug-in, including where they would need to recharge their battery, and how much money they would save on fuel.

Dan Kammen comments in the NYT on a letter of intent between the Fresno Nuclear Energy Group and the company Areva, owned largely by the French government. Both groups want to promote the construction of European Pressurized Reactors (EPR) in California, stressing the potential for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the Golden State.

Although there has been a moratorium in place in California since 1976 until federal measures solve the issue of waste storage or reprocessing, some observers believe in increased chances for a nuclear power rebirth in California. Kammen confirms: "There is certainly a chance that the legal prohibition will be lifted" and goes on: "It is also important to consider the potential for 'nuclear by wire.' Just as California imports coal and hydro power from out of state, the prospects for nuclear power to be imported via transmission is also a candidate that industrial groups are exploring." 

Where: Room 323 Barrows Hall at the Energy and Resource Group

Please join us for our weekly lunch seminar:

Brief summary: In order to justify major investments from society, the electric car technologies and business models must meet three criteria: CO2 mitigation, energy security, and economic viability. This talk examines the fundamental questions about the viability of electric vehicles that yet need to be answered by researchers.

Biography: Peter Attia is the Senior Director of Business Development & Corporate Strategy and leads all partnering and sales efforts for Sapphire. Prior to joining Sapphire, Peter was a consultant with McKinsey & Co. where he focused on the healthcare and financial sectors serving 9 of the largest 50 companies in the U.S. Peter’s main focus, applied across all industries, was risk management, as he was a member of McKinsey’s Corporate Risk Practice. Prior to joining McKinsey, Peter did his residency in General Surgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, followed by a fellowship in Surgical Oncology at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda. The author of numerous medical and research papers, Peter holds both an M.D. from Stanford University and a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics from Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada.