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<div align="center"><b>LMP SEMINAR<br>
Monday, March 5, 2007<br>
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<img src="cid:6.2.3.4.2.20070228143330.02bb81f0@po12.mit.edu.0" width=602 height=92 alt="[]">
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<b> <br>
“ENERGY QUALITY, NET ENERGY AND THE COMING ENERGY TRANSITION”<br>
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<div align="center">Cutler J. Cleveland, Boston University<br>
</i>Department of Geography and Center for Energy and Environmental
Studies, <br>
Boston University,675 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215, <br>
phone: (617) 353-3083, fax: (617) 353-5986;<br>
email: cutler@bu.edu<br>
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<i> <br>
</i>Abstract<br>
</b>Global oil production will peak in the coming decades, followed by
natural gas and coal. These turning points constitute an unprecedented
watershed in human history. This talk focuses on some of the critical
challenges we face in the transition from conventional fossil fuels to
alternative sources, particularly solar energy. Conventional wisdom holds
that technical improvements in the efficiency of energy end use and the
shift towards a dot-com economy will de-couple energy use and economic
well-being. But the relationship is much more complex than this simple
formulation. Most analyses underestimate the important quality
differences between fossil fuels and solar energy and their economic
implications. Quality in this case is measured by the amount of economic
output generated per unit of energy input. The lower quality nature of
solar energy is reflected in part by its energy density, and its lower
energy return on investment, the amount of energy delivered by a system
compared to the energy used in the delivery process. When quality
differences are accounted for, the relationship between energy use and
economic activity is very strong.<br>
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<b>Time: </b>12:00 – 1:00 p.m.<br>
<b>Place: </b>Room 33-116<br>
Pizza social to follow in 35-135<br>
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