What is the Energy Transition? Episode One

Welcome to episode one of the new podcast series sponsored by the Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition from the University of Southern California. In this first episode our intrepid co-hosts, Paulina and Justine interview the famous Dr. Iraj Ershaghi. The Energy Transition can be many things to many people, but that is all right. We need to start with engaging that diversity of opinion to begin to understand this complex topic.

The formal launch of the Ershaghi Center on Energy Transition (E-CET) happened in April 2022. The center, as USC Viterbi School of Engineering Vice Dean for Research Mahta Moghaddam stated in her opening remarks, intends to bring “together thought leaders in academia and industry to collaborate on research and educational programs that will foster major efforts towards a low carbon future.” The Energy Transition Talk podcast is just one of these programs.??

https://viterbischool.usc.edu/news/2022/04/ershaghi-center-on-energy-transition-launches/

At the launch event on campus, USC Energy Institute Director Don Paul, echoed what many in the room were likely thinking, “I do not think there could be a more important time to establish a center around energy transition.” We will be talking with Dr. Paul on our second episode on Energy Supply and Demand.

An energy industry veteran, Paul emphasized, “Nothing is more important to the functioning of the world than energy. The industry has a dual challenge of providing energy that the world needs but one that also has to evolve.” Dr. Ershaghi encourages us to go past the misinformation and become energy learners and to get involved in community issues.

The goal of supporting this center at USC with his wife Mary, said donor, Gary Buntmann, was to create a “modern energy center.” Recognizing the imperative, Buntmann implored, “Could there be a more important initiative?”

Buntmann, a USC Viterbi and USC Marshall alumnus, also recognized the unique privilege that our society has at this juncture today and the responsibility to give back. “The responsibility lies with the roughly billion people on the planet who have flourished with a higher standard of living due to readily available, abundant energy. That’s us—to…service the approximately three billion more people who are living in energy poverty, who are desperate for reliable energy sources, and who are deemed more vulnerable to higher carbon footprint cast by others,” Buntmann said. We will hear from Dr. Kelly Sanders about this challenge in our third episode.

Dr. Iraj Ershaghi for whom the Center was named, and who was Buntmann’s professor, recognized the challenges inherent to energy transition towards low carbon-dioxide emissions. In his conversation with us, he referenced how this sense of anxiety has been present throughout human history with the introduction of new technologies (including energy transitions) for example, from wood to coal, and from coal to petroleum. Ershaghi reflects that the transition to new energy sources would also bring new opportunities and new innovations, a challenge that E-CET will undertake head on.

E-CET will pull from the expertise across the university to address such challenges as sustainability, while promoting security, and enriching life, said USC Viterbi Dean Yannis C. Yortsos. A chemical engineer, Dean Yortsos explained that the Center will bring the school’s fundamental expertise to advance renewable energy, while recognizing how integral energy is to the fabric of our life. He said that sustainability advances lie at the intersection of water, energy, and materials. “[E-CET] will focus on processes to reduce substantially the carbon footprint and to help make renewable energy sustainable, powerful and plentiful,” Yortsos said.

The Energy Transition Talk will include conversations with several USC faculty and students (like our chat with Matt Hall in this episode) as well as researchers and entrepreneurs across many of the issues that the Energy Transition poses. Each episode will focus around a specific theme and talk to both experts and students about their experiences and thoughts for the future. We do not think we will answer all the questions around this complex topic but we will try to open your eyes and ears to some information that you may not have considered before. One of our fundamental aspirations is that the Energy Transition needs you. We cannot just rely on experts and activists. Each of us is an energy consumer, and energy voter and we need to have a voice in this critical transition. Our podcast will try to educate, entertain, and hopefully encourage to get involved. Until episode two, thanks for listening and please subscribe to the podcast and follow our story. ?Here is the link. Hope you enjoy.

Welcome to our first episode of the Energy Transition Talk, where we explore the challenges and opportunities of transitioning to a low-carbon future. In this episode, hosts Jim, Justine, and Paulina introduce themselves and set the stage for what the energy transition is and why it matters. They speak with Dr. Ershaghi, Director of the Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition (E-CET), on the history of energy transitions; where we stand in the race to net zero; the role that governments, private sector, and individuals play in the energy transition; and the importance of combating misinformation. They also hear from Mathew Davis, a Master’s student in petroleum engineering at USC, on how he defines energy transition and the role that petroleum engineering plays in the energy transition.

Our Youtube Channel: Energy Transition Talk | A USC E-CET Podcast – YouTube ?

Our Spotify: Energy Transition Talk | Podcast on Spotify or https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/B94x9s8FbDb