Project Info

Politics of Renewable Energy

Students of engineering, economics, and science will learn about the political forces that affect energy issues, such as political parties, incumbent energy players and challengers, and other economic sectors (agriculture, heavy industry, other major energy consumers such as casinos) and thus come away with an in-depth understanding of how politics can enhance or undermine products and ideas developed by engineers. Students will work on a co-authored paper with the goal of publishing in a social science journal.

More Information

We will be using a framework similar to the one used in this book: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/renewables

These are our two target journals for publication: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy-research-and-social-science and https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15411338

Grand Engineering Challenge: Make solar energy economical

Student Preparation

Qualifications

An interest in the social sciences and in energy, the ability and desire to work independently, and strong organizational and writing skills.

Time Commitment

20 hours/month

Skills/Techniques Gained

Qualitative research and methods, knowledge of how the social sciences intersect with engineering/science, and writing skills for peer-reviewed publication.

Mentoring Plan

We will meet for about 30 minutes every week to discuss the status of the research and next steps. We will discuss written work, including how to strengthen writing for greater clarity and impact. The student will work with a faculty member to learn how to prepare a paper for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and what journals are a good match for energy and social science research. We will work together on how to present research, including a practice presentation with feedback and presenting at a conference.