Course Meeting Times
2 sessions / week, 1.5 hrs / session
Prerequisites
None
Course Description
This class is about figuring out together what cities and users can do to reduce their energy use and carbon emissions. Many other classes at MIT focus on policies, technologies, and systems, often at the national or international level, but this course focuses on the scale of cities and users for the following reasons:
- Cities are centers of economic activity, population, and energy and material consumption.
- Cities, not nations, are making the most ambitious commitments towards climate goals.
- This scale reveals inequality, racism, and environmental justice issues in the energy system.
- The relationship of users to the energy system has been static for nearly a century.
- New information and data technologies are rapidly changing the built environment.
- Developing countries could leapfrog existing technologies, and many developed countries need to replace existing systems.
This course is designed for any students interested in learning how to intervene in the energy use of cities using policy, technology, economics, and urban planning. I welcome students with many different backgrounds because it enriches our discussions, but some of the following rationales for this course may also appeal to you:
- For planners, there are many jobs in this area that will shape how we use energy in the future. This class will integrate fundamental technical understanding with your policy skills so you can tackle the inevitable energy and climate issues that will affect all communities in the future.
- For engineers, 54% of all people now live in cities that generate 70% of world carbon emissions and 80% of world GDP; by 2050, 66% of the world’s population is expected to be urban. The focus of this class on urban energy use, efficiency, jurisdiction, institutions, and governance complements many other more technical classes at MIT.
- For climate change: given the uncertain prospects of national and international efforts, efforts in cities may be the fastest and most pragmatic solution.
These topics are especially exciting in this place and this year, given that the US Congress has passed its first climate legislation in thirty years, and Massachusetts continues to pass aggressive climate legislation.
Learning Objectives
- Learn about the role and potential of cities and users to shape the energy system
- Develop understanding of energy systems, infrastructure, and technology in cities
- Develop ability to do simple back-of-the-envelope calculations
- Understand what an equitable energy transition will look like
- Identify key points or issues for future management, intervention, or revolution
- Work together with a diverse group of people and disciplines
Structure of the Course
The semester is divided into two halves:
- In the first segment you will learn which basic calculations to perform in order to analyze one or two cities (more on that later), and we will learn about key technical aspects of energy systems in all cities.
- In the second segment we will examine the policies and institutions governing urban energy systems, with a particular focus on regulation and markets of the electricity sector in the US. Discussion and feedback will help you build up the base of knowledge and material that you need to write your paper.
Putting the two halves together will help you decide where and how to intervene in urban energy systems.
Activities
In the beginning of class, we will build a composite picture of our class, using our personal experiences and visions for the future to energy systems that you are familiar with. Please calculate the current carbon emissions for yourself and/or an average resident for where (a) you lived before MIT and (b) where and how you think you will live in 2050, using the CoolClimate calculator.
For each lecture, we will be “flipping” the classroom; I will record a before class that highlights key issues from the reading material and that sets the stage for our class exercises and discussion. Then, in each class, we will discuss (a) recent news developments, (b) the class assignment, which will take the form of short problem sets that either test you on reading comprehension or basic calculation exercises, and (c) a student will volunteer to help stimulate discussion and debate about the complex aspects of cities, climate, and energy (the fun part!).
Readings
The primary text for the class is:
- MacKay, David J.C., 2009. Sustainable Energy—Without the Hot Air, 1st ed., UIT Cambridge Ltd. ISBN: 9780954452933. This can be downloaded legally as a PDF or read in webpage format here.
Other papers assigned for each class are listed on the page. I may occasionally modify the weekly readings, in which case I will notify you in advance.
Optional companion books focusing on materials and food may interest some of you:
- Allwood, Julian M., and Jonathan M. Cullen. 2012. Sustainable Materials: With Both Eyes Open. UIT Cambridge Ltd. ISBN: 9781906860059. This can be downloaded legally as a PDF or read in webpage format here.
- Bridle, Sarah L. 2020. Food and Climate Change Without the Hot Air: Change Your Diet: The Easiest Way to Help Save the Planet. UIT Cambridge, Ltd. ISBN: 9780857845030.
Regular News Reading
You should do regular readings to educate yourself during the class—and beyond!—on specific areas of interest. I will start most classroom days with a brief discussion about current events related to our reading. News services have greatly expanded their coverage of energy, climate, as well as related policies and legislation.
- Many major newspapers allow you to subscribe to climate- and energy-specific newsletters. Examples: the New York Times (Climate Forward); the Washington Post (Climate 202); the Wall Street Journal (WSJ Climate & Energy); the Financial Times (Climate Capital); the Boston Globe (Into the Red); the Los Angeles Times (Boiling Point).
- Magazines and journals such as the New Yorker (Bill McKibben, Elizabeth Kolbert) and the Atlantic (Robinson Meyer)
- E&E News
Other news and commentary outlets that have excellent climate coverage, including:
- U.S. and regional Energy News Networks. These newsletters are an excellent source of local and regional energy news.
- Twitter is surprisingly useful if you follow the right people and are not distracted by cute puppy videos.
It is all too much to read everyday, but learning what and how to pay attention to things that interest you is a valuable way to see what people in the energy and climate spaces are talking about. I welcome any news suggestions that you all want to discuss (the quirkier, the better!).
Schedule and Topics
Session 1: Introduction: Welcome!
Session 2: Introduction: Cities and Decarbonization; problem set 1 due
Session 3: Introduction: Equitable, Just Transition; problem set 2 due
Session 4: Built Environment and Land Use; problem set 3 due
Session 5: Consumption: Personal Transport; problem set 4 due
Session 6: Consumption: Transport Systems; problem set 5 due
Session 7: Consumption: Transportation Systems: What Can Cities Do?; problem set 6 due
Session 8: Consumption: Buildings and Energy Efficiency; problem set 7 due
Session 9: Consumption: Building Energy Policies; problem set 8 due
Session 10: Consumption: Energy Efficiency; problem set 9 due
Session 11: Sources and Systems: Industry and Making Stuff; problem set 10 due
Session 12: Sources and Systems: Fossil, CCUS, and Nuclear; problem set 11 due
Session 13: Sources and Systems: Renewable Resources; problem set 12 due
Session 14: Sources and Systems: Siting Renewables; problem set 13 due
Session 15: Sources and Systems: Distributed Resources; problem set 14 due
Session 16: Midterm exam
Session 17: Policy and Institutions: “The Grid” System; problem set 15 due
Session 18: Policy and Institutions: “The Grid” Continued; problem set 16 due
Session 19: Policy and Institutions: Regulation; problem set 17 due
Session 20: Policy and Institutions: Ownership; problem set 18 due
Session 21: Policy and Institutions: Scales and Choices; problem set 19 due
Session 22: Policy and Institutions: Possible Futures; problem set 20 due
Session 23: Wrapping Up: Group-led discussion 1
Session 24: Wrapping Up: Group-led discussion 2
Session 25: Wrapping Up: Group-led discussion 3
Session 26: Wrapping Up: Final papers due
Grading
Expectations/Norms
- Watch the video lecture, do the reading, and submit your problem sets or questions the day before class.
- Ask questions and contribute insights for everyone’s learning.
- Focus on class discussion and lecture, i.e., use technology effectively and only as needed.
Grade Breakdown
- Before class prep: problem sets and reading questions 20%
- Class presence/discussion/participation 15%
- Exam 25%
- Paper proposal 5%
- Short presentation, group discussion 5%
- Final paper 30%
Please make an effort to be on time for class, and please let me know in advance if you will miss class. Missing more than two classes will affect your participation / discussion grade.
Assignments and Due Dates
Before each class, watching my video lecture, doing the reading and a basic calculation exercise will help build up your understanding of what numbers matter, as well as your background knowledge of a particular city. We will reinforce the knowledge with an exam, but if you watch the lecture and do the reading, calculation, and homework for each class, then the exam should be fairly straightforward.
The final paper assignment will synthesize what you learn over the semester by considering the prospects for a technological or policy innovation in a city of your choosing (I recommend your home or future city). Undergraduates will be expected to write a short paper of 8 pages minimum. Graduate students will write a paper of 12 pages minimum, with the additional task of analyzing their chosen city in terms of its expected future demographic changes.
We will have group discussions in the last three classes to share knowledge from our papers. This is also a good chance to put finishing touches on your final paper. Writing a good paper is much easier if you plan ahead, get feedback or help from your classmates, the MIT Writing and Communication Center, and myself, and have time to revise.
Problem sets and reading questions are due by midnight (11:59 pm) the day before class. Earlier is better for your sleep, though! For more details on the expectations for the assignments, see the page.
Extensions
Each person is allowed to miss up to 3 problem sets and reading questions, which are assessed automatically if you miss the midnight deadline. I can’t give any extensions for the final paper because grades are due three days after the end of class, so plan ahead for this. In cases of extreme physical or emotional circumstances, any further extensions should be requested from the Office of Graduate Education; if they decide that an extension is warranted, they will then send me a generic note, which preserves your privacy.
Academic Integrity
Plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, cheating, and facilitating academic dishonesty are academic crimes. It is your responsibility as students and scholars to understand the definition of any such activities, and to avoid and discourage them. Engaging in these activities either knowingly or unknowingly may result in severe academic sanctions, and you are therefore expected to familiarize yourself with MIT’s academic integrity policies.
