AAE 773: Seminar in Resource and Energy Demand
Fall 2015 – Spring 2016 • Fall: varies • Spring: Th. 1-2:15, Fr. 3-4:15 • 3 credits
Instructor: Bethany Glinsmann • bethany.glinsmann@wisc.edu • 608.890.1079 • 110 Taylor Hall
COURSE DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES
The REDA seminar course consists of weekly presentations from academics and industry professionals
on various hot topics in energy and environmental resources. A weekly discussion section will
accompany each speaker’s presentation. In order to take advantage of synergies with other seminars on
campus and in the AAE department, occasionally seminars will take place outside of the designated class
time. I will inform students of schedule changes well in advance.
In addition to introducing students to important industry topics, the course will focus on developing
students’ professional writing and oral presentation skills. Each student will give a 5-minute presentation
related to one week’s topic and will have the option to introduce one of the seminar speakers. Students
will prepare a one-page written response to each week’s topic.
EVALUATION
30%
15%
45%
10%
Class participation
Weekly discussion guides
Weekly writing exercises (1-page)
Oral presentation
Class participation includes participation in the discussion sections and interaction with the seminar
speakers.
You are allowed to work in groups on the weekly discussion guides, but everyone must submit their own
copy of the worksheet. Please type your responses and submit via email. Discussion guides are due at
10pm the evening before the discussion section.
The weekly writing exercise should be related to that week’s topic, but you may choose the style of
writing you want to practice. Examples include policy briefs, critical analysis of an issue from the
readings, persuasive argument, and personal opinion. Please type your work and submit via email.
Writing exercises are due one week following each speaker’s presentation.
You may choose the specific topic for your oral presentation, but it should be generally related to the
seminar’s topic for the week in which you present. If you are struggling to identify a specific topic for
your presentation, please let me know.
COURSE SCHEDULE
All discussion sessions and presentations are held at the regular class time, unless specified otherwise.
1
Fall Semester
1. Electricity Rate Setting
Bruce Chapman, Christensen Associates Energy Consulting
Assigned Readings: Bonbright (Ch. 1 [skim] & Ch. 16), Aggarwal et al (2015)
Additional Resources: NARUC slides, Synapse handbook, RAP webinar, Trabish (2015)
Discussion Section: Thursday, October 1st, 2:30-3:45pm, Taylor Hall room 103
Seminar: October 7th, 9:30-12:30 (WPUI Energy Utilities Basics Course), Pyle Center room 235
Note that Prof. Alix-Garcia is aware of this time conflict, and you will not be expected to be
present for 771 during the normal class time on this day.
2. Changing Utility Landscape/Distributed Generation
Steve Kihm, Seventhwave & Elisabeth Graffy, Arizona State University
Assigned Readings: Kind (2013), Graffy & Kihm (2014), Jacobson (2014), Lacey (2015), Pyper
(2015), Borenstein (2014)
Additional Resources: NREL (2015) Part 1 & Part 2, Minnesota Value of Solar: Methodology,
Roberts (2015), Bradford (2013), America’s Power Plan Overview, Free Market Energy Act of
2015, SZ Enterprises LLC v. Iowa Utilities Board (section I. Factual Background and
Proceedings)
Discussion Section: Tuesday, November 10th, 2:30-3:45pm, Taylor Hall room 103
Seminar: November 12th, 5:30-7pm, Tong Auditorium, Engineering Centers Building
3. Clean Power Plan
Corbett Grainger, University of Wisconsin
Assigned Readings: EPA Fact Sheet, CPP Wisconsin, Synapse blog part 1 & part 2, Holden et al
(2015), States’ letter in support of CPP (pp. 1-5)
Additional Resources: CPP Key Topics and Issues, Energy Policy Simulator, Regional
Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Nussbaum & Krukowska (2015), The Energy Gang podcast, Synapse
webinars
Discussion Section: Thursday, November 12th, 2:30-3:45pm, Taylor Hall room 103
Seminar: November 16th at 3:30pm, Wisconsin Energy Institute room 1115
4. Behavioral Economics
Robert Metcalfe, University of Chicago
Assigned Readings: Gosnell et al (2015), Cool Choices & ECW (2015)
Discussion Section: Thursday, December 3rd, 2:30-3:45pm, Taylor Hall room 103
Seminar: December 4th at 12pm, Taylor Hall room 103
5. Climate Change and Air Conditioner Use
Max Auffhammer, University of California at Berkeley
Assigned Readings: Auffhammer (2013)
Discussion Section: Thursday, December 10th, 2:30-3:45pm, Taylor Hall room 103
Seminar: December 11th at 10am, Taylor Hall room 103
2
Spring Semester
6. Real Time Pricing Programs
Peter Millburg, Ameren
Assigned Readings: Ito (2014), Millburg & Provencher slides (2011), Klos slides (2013),
Navigant (2013) [on AAE server], Faruqui slides (2014), St. John (2015)
Additional Resources: Tweed (2014), Chapman WPUI slides (2015) [on AAE server], Trabish
(2015), Trabish (2015), Jessoe & Rapson (2014) [on AAE server]
Discussion Section: Thursday, January 21st, 1-2:15pm, Taylor Hall room 103
Seminar: Friday, January 22nd, 3-4:15pm, Taylor Hall room 103
7. Survey Design & Market Research
Ingo Bensch, Evergreen Economics
Assigned Readings: varies by group
Discussion Section: Thursday, January 28th, 1-2:15pm, Taylor Hall room 103
Seminar: Friday, January 29th, 3-4:15pm, Taylor Hall room 103
8. Impacts of the Fracking Boom
Grant Jacobsen, University of Oregon
Assigned Readings: Jacobsen (2015), Phys.org (2015), Lutey (2016), Herschelman (2016),
Roberts (2016)
Additional Readings: Muehlenbachs et al. (2015)
Discussion Section: Thursday, February 4th, 1-2:15pm, Taylor Hall room 103
Seminar: Friday, February 5th, 12-1:30pm, Taylor Hall room 103
9. Fisheries
Corbett Grainger, University of Wisconsin
Assigned Readings: Costello & Grainger (2015) [on AAE server], Goode (2015), Shapiro (2015),
The Economist (2008)
Additional Readings: Leschin-Hoar (2015), The Economist (2012), North Pacific Fishery
Management Council meeting minutes, Deacon, Parker, & Costello (2013)
Discussion Section: Thursday, February 25th, 1-2:15pm, Taylor Hall room 103
Seminar: Friday, February 26th, 3-4:15pm, Taylor Hall room 103
10. Sample Design Workshop
Greg Brown, Navigant
Assigned Readings: Navigant report & appendices (2014), Williamson & Kasman (2012)
Discussion Section: Thursday, March 10th, 1-2:15pm, Taylor Hall room 103
Seminar: Friday, March 11th, 3-4:15pm, Taylor Hall room 103
11. Water Pricing
Ken Baerenklau, University of California – Riverside
Assigned Readings: Baerenklau et al. (2014), Baerenklau (2015), Groves (2015), Zimmerman
(2016), 20x2020 Q&A
Additional Readings: 20x2020 Water Conservation Plan (2010), Baerenklau et al. (2014) [on
AAE server]
Discussion Section: Thursday, March 31st, 1-2:15pm, Taylor Hall room 103
Seminar: Friday, April 1st, 12-1:30pm, Taylor Hall room 103
12. Do Energy Efficiency Programs Work?
Scott Pigg, Seventhwave
3
Assigned Readings: Fowlie et al. (2015), Harvey (2015), Pigg (2015), Ling (2015), Roberts
(2011), Comverge webinar (2016),
Additional Readings: ACEEE (2015), ECW (2000), Polly et al (2011)
Discussion Section: Thursday, April 7th, 1-2:15pm, Taylor Hall room 103
Seminar: Friday, April 8th, 3-4:15pm, Taylor Hall room 103
13. Contingent Valuation
Rich Bishop, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Assigned Readings: Bishop & Boyle (2016) [on AAE server], Champ & Bishop (2001) [on AAE
server], WPR Central Time podcast (2016), Stumborg et al (2001)
Additional Readings: Walsh et al (2016)
Discussion Section: Thursday, April 21st, 1-2:15pm, Taylor Hall room 103
Seminar: Friday, April 22nd, 3-4:15pm, Taylor Hall room 103
14. Load Forecasting
Andy Mendyk, Alliant Energy
Assigned Readings: Freakonomics Radio podcast (2016), St. John (2015), Gimon & Aggarwal
(2015), EIA Annual Energy Outlook 2015, Urban et al (2014), EIA (2013), Mendyk (2015) [on
AAE Server]
Discussion Section: Thursday, April 28th, 1-2:15pm, Taylor Hall room 103
Seminar: Friday, April 29th, 3-4:15pm, Taylor Hall room 103
15. Cancelled
4