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  4. ND Energy Faculty Luncheon: "Planning the Mid-Transition: Aligning Fossil Phase-out and Zero Carbon Phase-in for Just Decarbonization" by Emily Grubert

ND Energy Faculty Luncheon: "Planning the Mid-Transition: Aligning Fossil Phase-out and Zero Carbon Phase-in for Just Decarbonization" by Emily Grubert

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Location: B01 McCourtney Hall

Emily Grubert Cropped

All interested Notre Dame faculty are invited to attend the ND Energy Faculty Luncheon presentation by Emily Grubert, associate professor of sustainable energy policy in the Keough School of Global Affairs, titled "Planning the Mid-Transition: Aligning Fossil Phase-out and Zero Carbon Phase-in for Just Decarbonization". Her talk will be followed by a discussion focused on (1) cross-disciplinary basic research needs, (2) potential avenues for external and internal collaborations, (3) funding sources to target, and (4) any follow-up action items. We hope you will join us, and we look forward to your participation in the discussion on potential new directions for cross-collaborations. If you have any questions related to this or future ND Energy Faculty Luncheon events, please contact Dr. Subhash L. Shinde.

RSVP: To help us plan for a sufficient number of lunches, please respond to the Google Calendar invitation by 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 19. If you did not receive the calendar invite, please contact Andrea Connors, Administrative Coordinator for ND Energy.

Abstract:
Responding to climate change requires rapid and deep industrial transformation, particularly related to phasing out fossil fuels and restructuring energy systems to deliver services without greenhouse gas emissions. This transformation presents a critical opportunity not only to decarbonize, but to remake the way we provide energy services with emphasis on justice. The period of remaking is a multidecade effort that requires both phasing out the majority of the existing energy system and phasing in a new system -- all while continuing to provide energy services effectively, despite the growing challenges of climate change and deep inequality. The "mid-transition" period during which existing and new systems are each too small to provide all services on their own, but too large to avoid constraining the other, poses special challenges of safety, reliability, flexibility, measurement, and other considerations. A successful transition will require extensive coordination and planning, especially due to the dynamism imposed by both technology and climate changes.
Biography:

Emily Grubert is Associate Professor of Sustainable Energy Policy, and, concurrently, of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences at the University of Notre Dame. Her research focuses on justice-oriented deep decarbonization and decision support tools related to large infrastructure systems, with emphasis on evaluation of dynamic life cycle socioenvironmental impacts and the effects of different value systems on decision pathways. Grubert holds a Ph.D. in Environment and Resources from Stanford University. She previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Carbon Management (2021-2022) and Senior Advisor for Energy Asset Transformation (2022-2023) at the US Department of Energy, and is currently Editor-in-Chief of Environmental Research: Energy.