Sept. 8th 2011
E.J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University
34:970:620 Cross Listed with 34:833:620 Energy Policy and Planning
Wednesdays 1:10 pm to 3:50 pm
Fall 2010
Classroom: Civic Square Building, Room 243
Instructor: Frank Felder, PhD
Contact Information
Civic Square Building, Room 249
Telephone: 932-5475 x 670
Email: ffelder@rci.rutgers.edu
http://www.policy.rutgers.edu/ceeep/
Office hours: 1 hour immediately before and after class or by appointment
Energy policy is a critical component of state and national public policy. Issues surrounding the
reliability and security of energy supplies directly affect national domestic and foreign policy, as
well as environmental, economic development and land use concerns. Moreover, the policies,
strategies, and programs adopted by both the public and private sectors will directly impact upon
our lives as professionals, members of a community, and our families. This graduate seminar
course will examine energy policy and planning through a timely, critical and practical approach
designed to give students an insight into the factors that shape energy policy.
This class will be conducted as a mixture of seminars, student presentations, individual meetings with
the instructor, and video lectures. The assigned readings, classroom discussions, and individual
research assignments will revolve around the New Jersey Energy Master Plan. Major topic areas will
include: energy technologies, the nature and operation of energy markets, environmental issues,
energy planning, and the components of a holistic energy policy.
Course Objectives: Familiarize students with the major issues associated with energy policy and
planning and develop their abilities to conduct and assess energy related studies and their
economic, environmental and social implications.
Required Video Lectures
Students will be required to view the following lectures available at
http://web.mit.edu/mitei/news/video.html
1. Whales to Wood, Wood to Coal/Oil— What's Next?, Daniel Nocera
2. Meeting US Energy and Climate Challenges With Rational Policy, Severin
Borenstein
3. Why Bad Things Happen to Good Technologies, John Sterman
4. Uncertainties in Climate Forecasts: Causes, Magnitudes and Policy Implications, Stephen
H. Schneider
5. Climate Change: The Economics of and Prospects for a Global Deal, Nicholas Stern
6. The U.S. Energy Crisis and the Role of New Nuclear Plants, Thomas A. Christopher
7. Global Resources and the Built Environment, John Fernandez
8. Geoscience and Carbon Sequestration, M. Leinen
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Sept. 8th 2011
Students will be required to submit a two page memo summarizing and critiquing each video
lecture. Students may submit their memos at anytime during the semester.
Required and Recommended Readings
Required and recommended readings are either available on the internet or on the course’s Sakai
website https://sakai.rutgers.edu/portal
Academic Integrity
All members of our community must be confident that each person's work has been responsibly
and honorably acquired, developed, and presented. Any effort to gain advantage not given to all
students is dishonest, whether or not the effort is successful. A violation of academic honesty is a
breach of trust, and will result in penalties, including possible suspension or expulsion. When in
doubt about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting, or collaboration, consult the course instructors.
Please see: http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/students.shtml for further information.
Schedule of Classes and Assignments
September 7
Class overview and introduction to energy policy and planning
September 14
Energy Trends, Technologies and Implications
Read the Executive Summary of EIA’s 2011 Annual Energy Outlook:
http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/aeo/index.html
Read the 2008 NJ Energy Master Plan
http://www.nj.gov/emp/docs/pdf/081022_emp.pdf
September 21
NJ Energy Master Plan
Read the 2011 Draft NJ Energy Master Plan
http://www.nj.gov/emp/docs/pdf/2011%20Draft%20Energy%20M
aster%20Plan.pdf
September 28
Student presentations (1-15 minute informal presentation on a state
or major city’s energy plan but NOT NJ)
What problems is the plan trying to address?
What are the major components of the plan?
What is your assessment of whether the plan will succeed or not
and why?
October 5
Energy Analysis: Tools in the Toolkit
Read the NJ Energy Modeling Report prepared by CEEEP for the
2008 Energy Master Plan
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Sept. 8th 2011
http://www.state.nj.us/emp/docs/pdf/10122208ceeepModEMP.pdf
October 12
Student presentations (topics to be provided)
October 19
Climate Change
John Holdren, Meeting the Climate Change Challenge, available
on Sakai
IPCC Technical Summary 2007, available on Sakai
October 26
Energy efficiency and renewable resources
CEEEP: A Review of CT’s Renewable Portfolio Standard
http://policy.rutgers.edu/ceeep/publications/2011/CTRPSReview72
02011.pdf
November 2
Oil, coal, nuclear and natural gas
Readings to be provided at a later date
November 9
NO CLASS
November 16
Energy markets
Readings to be provided at a later date
November 21
Monday
Student presentations (topics to be provided)
November 23
NO CLASS
November 30
Student negotiations on the NJ Energy Master Plan
December 7
Student negotiations on the NJ Energy Master Plan
December 14
Final Paper due (more details provided during the semester)
Grading
25% in class presentations, 25% video memorandums, 25% energy master plan negotiations, 25%
final paper on the NJ Energy Master Plan
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