Powering the Future with Sustainable Energy

August 21, 2008 presentation by Stacey Bent for the Stanford University Office of Science Outreach's Summer Science Lecture Series.

Meeting the world's growing energy needs in a sustainable fashion is one of the most pressing problems of our time. Professor Bent introduces the scope of the energy problem and some of the options for sustainable energy, then will focus on two main devices: solar cells and fuel cells. Solar cells convert the energy of the sun directly into electricity, while fuel cells convert chemical energy directly into electricity. Current research at Stanford is studying the use of new materials to develop the next generation of solar cells and fuel cells.

The Stanford Summer Science Lecture Series is a set of informal lectures about cutting edge research from four of Stanford's most esteemed professors.

Stanford Summer Science Lecture Series:
http://oso.stanford.edu/lecture_series.html?id=1

Stanford University:
http://www.stanford.edu/

Stanford University Channel on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/stanford/

Category:

Education

Tags:

• science
• earth
• sustainable
• energy
• gas
• prices
• carbon
• dioxide
• electricity
• niagra
• falls
• hydrodynamic
• consumption
• fossil
• fuels
• oil
• climate
• change
• greenhouse
• effect
• global
• warming
• atmosphere
• IPCC
• biofuel
• ethanol
• hydrogen
• H2
• fuel
• cell
• solar

[agapitoflores001]

Very nice talk.. I think many will like this same as I do.

[christhecreeper]

look how quickly it got dark from beggining to end

[christhecreeper]

wad i the only one who saw the car slowly driving by with everybody looking at her in the very beggining

[sparkstarter]

This lecture is an hour long and my laptop used 1/25 of a kilowatt hour to play the video, and I didn't learn anything that would help my endeavors to save energy or acquire better solar technology...How sustainable are lectures about sustainability?

[wyrrox]

You've been on about sustainable energy for 10 years and you haven't done anything about it. Instead of giving endless speeches about how we're all going to die, you might fund research projects extending beyond the known methods of sustainable energy, for example: buoyancy, magnetism and lightning energy.

[hablerz]

I had no idea Sigorney Weaver knew so much about renewable energy.

[mquiroz90]

hope there wont be anymore fuel or gas in the future or im sure there isnt gunna be any

[mboress]

the first thing to look at just past behind you at the start of the vid. the number 1 danger to the enviroment is the car. limitaions on horsepower and size would create new markets and hopefully more personal responsibility towards how we use energy. would slowing down be really that bad? think of it. no more roadside memorials for the those killed in accidents. some of the weekend stats of road deaths are close to war time fatalities. save gas, lives, good air, good deal.

[okostosvevidi]

too much of a microphone. great lecture!!! thanks stanford!