Energy Initiatives

BROADENING our use of existing resources

While much research is focused on new energy sources, fossil fuels will remain a fundamental element of an overall energy mix for the foreseeable future. Today, they provide about 85 percent of the United States’ energy supply requirements and are likely to be the dominant energy source for the next quarter-century and beyond.

New technologies must be developed to enhance the recovery of conventional oil and gas. All forms of fossil fuels will need solutions to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions. Water also has become a critical issue in line with energy, with complimentary challenges and synergies with fossil-fuel production. Additionally, there are significant emerging work-force challenges as current energy workers near retirement, the demand for workers increases, and fewer students pursue technical degrees.

DISCOVERING new energy sources to power our lives

Higher energy prices, public concern about global warming and questions about the true cost of fossil fuels are making renewable and alternative energy sources increasingly economical and attractive. Forecasts suggest that demand for electricity will continue to grow worldwide. Coal, which supplies about half the power needs of the country, is facing restraints from greenhouse-gas emission caps. Interest in nuclear potential is rising, yet the timeframe for building new nuclear plants still exceeds a decade, and safety concerns still predominate.

According to the American Wind Energy Association, the United States’ wind-power generating capacity increased by 45 percent in 2007 and 50 percent in 2008 to an installed capacity of 25,170 megawatts at the end of 2008. Texas has the largest installed capacity of wind in the country with 7,116 megawatts.

Solar power continues to become more economical, and Texas has one of the best solar resources in the country. UH already has taken a lead in the area.

Regarding transportation fuels, mandates for increased ethanol usage in the United States are driving significant biofuels research and investment. Fuel from algae holds enormous promise, and UH has been one of the key early members in forming a Texas Bio-fuels Alliance.

Fuel cells also hold long-term prospects. Political initiatives, environmental mandates and economics will drive an ever-increasing acceleration of research, educational, and outreach activities in the country and globally.

SHAPING energy management and policy

EMAP is an interdisciplinary group whose research addresses academics as well as policy makers in business and government. In our work, "energy management" includes the assurance of adequate supplies, more efficient use of energy, the balancing of energy/environmental demands, and the development of new sources of energy. "Energy policy" includes public policy, business strategy, and the coordination of the two.

Recent debates of our energy future stress the need for a transition from fossil fuels to other energy sources that produce less greenhouse gases. Given the scale of global energy use and the dominance of fossil fuels in the current energy mix, however, they will remain important for generations. Indeed, natural gas seems likely to serve as a "bridge fuel" to any alternative fuel that might grow large enough to make a difference in global energy supply. The location of the University of Houston in the petroleum capital of the world makes it a logical place to study the long transition away from fossil fuels with an emphasis on the management and policy issues facing oil and natural gas.

The EMAP Group is organized around five major centers and programs on the University of Houston campus:

(1) Global Energy Management Institute in the Bauer College of Business
(2) Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Center in the Law Center
(3) Center for Public History in the history department
(4) Hobby Center for Public Policy in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, and
(5) Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics (TIMES) a university-wide research institute with strong ties to the psychology department.

Individuals from throughout the university are also included, as well as affiliated researchers at other universities.

REDUCING our impact on the environment

Environmental and cost concerns are spurring us to work aggressively on the demand side of the energy equation through conservation and efficiency. At the state, federal and local levels, officials are promoting conservation and environmental sustainability through green building standards and conservation programs. 

The Greater Houston Partnership and the city of Houston’s mayor’s office have organized a task force addressing residential electricity-demand reduction, and the University of Houston has helped lead and facilitate the initiative. Designing efficient buildings, with consideration given to next-generation materials, is also part of the demand-reduction equation. Quality-of-life issues in metropolitan communities like Houston require focus on key issues such as air and water quality, among many others.