Transitioning to a Clean Energy Economy

Catalog description

Ambitious new federal and state laws and policies are incentivizing a rapid transition of the U.S. economy away from fossil fuels toward clean energy. This course, open to law school students and graduate students from other schools, will survey the legal and policy tools that are being deployed to accelerate a massive shift toward clean energy in all sectors of the economy, and the associated technological, financial, legal and equity challenges associated with building out the clean energy economy. We will review the key incentive- and regulatory-based mechanisms that are driving the transition in major sectors of the U.S. economy--including transportation, electricity, industry, and buildings. Special focus will be placed on siting, permitting, and financial challenges (and opportunities) for utility-scale and distributed clean energy sources; expansion of the transmission grid; and the potential scale-up of new technologies to speed the transition, including nuclear and hydrogen-based power. The course will include guest appearances by governmental officials and opinion leaders who are working to facilitate the build-out of clean energy infrastructure in the U.S. Grades will reflect class participation, two short reaction papers, and a final paper. CONSENT APPLICATION: To apply for this course, students must complete and submit a Consent Application Form available on the SLS Registrar website https://registrar.law.stanford.edu/. Click SUNetID Login in the top right corner of the page and then click the "Consent Courses" tab. See Consent Application Form for instructions and submission deadline.