UT Energy Symposium
A weekly guest lecture series that is both free and open to the public and available for course credit.
In an effort to provide a multidisciplinary platform for UT faculty and students to interact on the most pressing energy issues facing our world, the Energy Institute sponsors the UT Energy Symposium (UTES), which entered its 28th semester in spring 2025.
The UTES serves as a “convener” for the campus community, uniting students interested in energy issues with faculty and others working on sustainable energy security. Students who register for the symposium receive one credit hour for the 15-week seminar course, which is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. The course is taught in both the fall and spring semesters.
Ongoing themes for UTES include climate change policy, innovation and diffusion of energy technologies, low-carbon technology options and status, and behavioral aspects of energy consumption.
Each UTES talk is recorded and posted on this page and on the Energy Institute YouTube channel.
Instructor: Carey King
Unique Number (Fall 2025): 65605 (graduate students) / 65310 (undergraduates)
Day & Time: Tuesday, 12:30 – 1:45 p.m.
If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact Christa Hopkins, who can be reached at 512-475-8447 or christa@energy.utexas.edu, no later than five (5) business days prior to the event.
UT Energy Symposium Talks
April 26, 2018
Planet Texas 2050: A UT Austin Grand Challenge
Jay Banner, ESI | Richard Corsi, CAEE | Michael Young, BEG | Heather Houser, English
April 19, 2018
Adapting from grid to cloud
Bill Cannon, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Environment & Infrastructure Group Sumitomo Corporation of Americas
April 12, 2018
Will the internet of things change the electric business?
Robert J. King, President, Good Company Associates
April 5, 2018
Global Energy Impact of a Developing China; and India?
Fred Beach, Assistant Director for Policy Studies, Energy Institute, The University of Texas at Austin
March 29, 2018
To Uber or Not to Uber: Economic and Energetic Tradeoffs
Todd Davidson, Research Associate, Energy Institute and Webber Energy Group, The University of Texas at Austin
March 22, 2018
A Proposed Framework for Rebooting the Study of Economics
Garvin Boyle, principal designer and programmer, Orrery Software
March 8, 2018
Personal Reflections on California’s Leadership in Environmental Policy
Alan Lloyd, Research Fellow, Energy Institute, UT Austin; Former Secretary, California EPA; Former Chair, California Air Resources Board
March 1, 2018
Global gas demand and US LNG exports
Gürcan Gülen, Research Scientist, Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences
February 22, 2018
Coal in India: History and Persistence
Rohit Chandra, PhD Student, Kennedy School at Harvard
February 15, 2018
The Evolution of Building Energy Code Adoption and Compliance in Texas 2001-2018: How Outreach, Education and Collaboration Changed the Texas Building Industry
Richard Morgan, Sr. Energy Codes Manager, South-central Partnership for Energy Efficiency as a Resource (SPEER)
February 8, 2018
Aramco and Saudi Arabia – Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
David Kultgen, General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Arabian American Oil Company (retired)
January 25, 2018
Food Security: Thermodynamics, Ecology, and Economics
John R Schramski, Associate Professor, College of Engineering, University of Georgia
May 3, 2012
Americans’ Vehicle and Travel Choices: Opportunities for Plug- In Vehicles in the Nation’s Fleet Evolution
Dr. Kara Kockelman, Professor & William J. Murray Jr. Fellow, Department of Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
April 26, 2012
The Future of Water in Texas, and What It Means for Energy
Thomas Mason, Former General Manager of the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and currently with the law firm Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody
April 12, 2012
Taking Green Technologies from Innovation to the Market: A VC’s Perspective
Ashmeet Sidana, General Partner, Foundation Capital
April 5, 2012
California’s March Towards Sustainable Energy: Assessing the Record and Lessons for Future
Andrew McAllister, Managing Director, California Center for Sustainable Energy
March 29, 2012
Simulating Complex Systems: Applications to Energy
Dr. Charles Macal, Senior Systems Engineer, Argonne National Laboratory
March 22, 2012
The Energy Industry’s Media Triumphs and Disasters
Mark Fischetti, Energy and Environment Editor, Scientific American
March 8, 2012
National Oil Companies: Fueling Anxiety
Mark Thurber, Associate Director for Research, Program on Energy and Sustainable Development, Stanford
March 1, 2012
What the Characteristics of Wind and Solar Electric Power Production Mean for Their Future
Jay Apt, Professor of Technology, Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University
February 23, 2012
From Here to Eternity (and Beyond): Transforming to a Clean Energy Economy
David Crane, President and CEO, NRG Energy
February 16, 2012
Student Research Showcase
- Sudamsh Bai-Reddy, McCombs School of Business See PDF slides in a new window
- Benjamin Sigrin, Energy and Earth Resources and LBJ School of Public Affairs See PDF slides in a new window
- Dave Tuttle, Electrical and Computer Engineering See PDF slides in a new window
- Dan Weisberg, Pecan Street Inc. See PDF slides in a new window
February 8, 2012
Geopolitical Implications of Shale Gas
Amy Jaffe, Fellow in Energy Studies and Director of the Energy Forum, Baker Institute, Rice University