OLLI-SCIE-4037 - Clean Energy as a Major Climate Solution: U.S. & International Experience

Course Description

The course will highlight the dramatic growth of renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) technologies over the past several decades and how they are among the most effective solutions to climate change and GHG emission reductions. While much needs to be done to further accelerate RE and EE implementation, and to make major progress in energy storage, clean energy technologies now account for the majority of worldwide energy investment and are already more cost-effective than energy derived from fossil fuels. The presenter has developed renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in Latin America, in the US, and and in Asia and the Pacific by founding three different companies in the 1990s, 2000s, and now. He will illustrate his course presentation by talking about what it’s like putting together $20-50 million RE and EE projects in developing countries, , the obstacles to clean energy development, and the amount of worldwide financing that will be required to significantly reduce GHG emissions.