Today you will learn from expert guest Chuck Kutscher about solar energy, why it may or may not help solve climate change, how it works and what needs to still be done for it to be an effective solution to climate change.
Timestamps:- (00:00) - Intro
- (02:40) - What is solar energy?
- (05:38) - Why would solar energy help to solve climate change?
- (09:01) - Why would solar energy not help to solve climate change?
- (11:33) - Who benefits and who is harmed by this solution?
- (14:06) - How does solar energy as a solution work?
- (16:36) - What innovation or policy is needed for this to be an effective solution?
- (19:15) - Recommended resources
- (20:50) - Top skills to learn for solving climate change
- (22:30) - Final recommendations
- (24:50) - Activity
Dr. Charles (Chuck) Kutscher is a Fellow and Senior Research Associate of the University of Colorado Boulder Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI). Dr. Kutscher spent 4 decades as a renewable energy researcher and manager at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and was the Director of the Buildings and Thermal Sciences Center when he retired from NREL in July 2018. He is a Past Chair and Fellow of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) and served as U.S. Representative for the International Energy Agency (IEA) Solar Heating and Cooling Program Task 14, "Advanced Active Solar Energy Systems."
He is the lead author of the third edition of the college textbook,
Principles of Sustainable Energy Systems and is an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado Boulder where he is teaching the course “Sustainable Energy.” Dr. Kutscher has given many presentations on climate change solutions throughout the US and abroad, and he has been involved in several recent climate change projects, including as lead author of the RASEI report,
Accelerating the US Clean Energy Transformation (which was summarized in an op-ed in
The Hill) and as a contributing author to the
2020 Zero Carbon Action Plan by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Dr. Kutscher received a B.S. in physics from the State University of New York at Albany, an M.S. in nuclear engineering from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the states of Colorado and California.
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