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Midland ACS keynote: "The Energy Challenges and Opportunities of the 21st Century"

Event Type
Conference
Speaker
Jeremiah Johnson
Sponsor
American Chemical Society - Midland Section
Details
October 5, 20139:00am - 3:00pm
 - 
Bay City, Michigan

The Energy Challenges and Opportunities of the 21st Century

In the Twentieth Century, we witnessed the rise of coal followed by petroleum and natural gas. In the past decade, the improving cost competitiveness of renewable energy and the pressing environmental impacts caused by burning fossil fuels have laid the foundation for the next energy revolution. In this presentation (which is designed to be accessible to the general public), Dr. Johnson will describe how past choices and technological developments led to our current energy mix. Emerging and expanding technologies are reshaping or are poised to reshape that energy mix, driven by such factors as dropping wind and solar prices, new and innovative energy efficiency measures, the proliferation of hydraulic fracturing, and the promise of electric vehicles. Each of these choices presents different environmental, economic, and technical tradeoffs. This presentation will highlight some possible scenarios for a cleaner energy future, lay the ground work for more informed discussion of the associated risks, and introduce some of the cutting edge opportunities that may become the next energy revolution.