Seminars for the group study of selected topics not covered by regularly scheduled courses. Topics will vary from semester to semester.

The recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act allocates over $350 billion dollars towards the development of renewable energies and their integration into our existing nationwide energy grid. Presently, the U.S. sources only 12% of its energy from renewables (US Energy Information Administration). If the U.S. is to meet its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 significant changes must occur. Inevitably, with this substantial infusion of federal dollars, and the additional private capital stimulated by this funding, substantial and transformative effects will impact a broad swath of UC Berkeley majors, including but not limited to engineering, computer science, business and finance, environmental design, law, public policy, and many others. How knowledgeable, though, are most of our students of this developing landscape of renewable energies, and their role as informed citizens or more directly as employed participants in this REvolution? The subject matter of this DeCal spans the renewable energy sector, familiarizing students with the inner-workings of the range of industries and technologies comprising this growing sector. Renewable energy should not be viewed in isolation from outside factors; we will dive into social, economic, and geopolitical issues involved in our transition to a green grid. Throughout the course, we will conduct fireside chats with industry experts to detail the role their companies play in the renewable energy market, the challenges they are confronting, their immediate and long term corporate visions for this energy sector, and the myriad career opportunities available to college students who wish professionally to make their ‘green’ impact on our planet.

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