webber group

Changing the way the world thinks about energy.

Welcome to the Webber Energy Group

The Webber Group analyzes energy problems at the intersection of science, engineering, and public policy. Sample research topics include: biofuels; waste-to-energy; energy and security; green design; energy in Texas, the nexus of energy and food; and the nexus of water and energy.

We are affiliated with the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy (CIEEP), the Clean Energy Incubator, and the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law as a part of the Cockrell School of Engineering, LBJ School of Public Affairs, and the Jackson School of Geosciences.

Energy
Energy Systems
Alternative & Renewable Energy
Sustainability
Biofuels
Energy Technology & Policy
Transportation
Energy & Water
Energy & Food

Multimedia

Texas Interactive Power Simulator

Subscribe to Webber Group Newsletter

Announcements

Energy Technology & Policy 3-day Short Course, January 12-14, 2010
Professor Webber will be offering his popular 3-day industrial course “Energy Technology and Policy” again on January 12-14, 2010. This course is designed for professional engineers, business leaders, attorneys, policymakers, and representatives from government agencies who would like to learn a lot about energy in a short amount of time. The course will include several prominent guest lecturers and will cover topics such as alternative energy, energy & the economy, energy & the environment, and much more. For more information, please visit: http://lifelong.engr.utexas.edu/etp10

Webber Energy Blog

Electricity Generation - Learning About Tradeoffs with TIPS

The Texas Interactive Power Simulator (TIPS) is an online tool that allows the user to compare the environmental and economic trade-offs of different electricity technologies. The user can change the amount of generation from coal, natural gas, nuclear, hydroelectric, wind, and solar generation technologies and TIPS will calculate the economic costs and environmental impacts of these changes. These values are displayed graphically to allow for easy comparison of what the user chooses and the current generation mix in Texas. TIPS is a good information source and teaching tool for those wishing to explore the tradeoffs of different electricity generation technologies.

TIPS was developed in conjunction between the University of Texas at Austin's Webber Energy Group and Power Across Texas.

Don’t forget to check out the Webber Energy Blog, which has entries by students.

Events

energy events

speaking schedule

04.26.10 Forum on Science Ethics and Policy
Location: Seattle, WA
http://www.fosep.org

02.12.10 "The Nexus of Energy and Water"
New Mexico Law Symposium
Location: Albuquerque, NM

03.02.10 "The Smart Grid in Austin, TX"
Location: Abu Dhabi

04.26.10
Forum on Science Ethics and Policy www.fosep.org
Location: Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA

Recent Journal Articles

M.E. Webber, "Water vs. Energy," Scientific American, October 2008
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-future-of-fuel
C.W. King, A.S. Holman, and M.E. Webber, "Thirst for Energy," Nature Geoscience, 2008, 1
http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/v1/n5/abs/ngeo195.html
K.M. Twomey, A.S. Stillwell and M.E. Webber, “Nitrate Contamination as a Result of Biofuels Production and Its Unintended Energy Impacts for Treating Drinking Water,” Journal of Environmental Monitoring (in press).
http://xlink.rsc.org/?doi=B913137J
C. W. King, M. E. Webber and I. J. Duncan, “The Water Needs for LDV Transportation in the United States,” Energy Policy, Vol. 38 (2), pp 1157-1167 (2010).
T.M. Thompson, M.E. Webber, and D.T. Allen, “Air Quality Impacts of Using Overnight Electricity Generation to Charge PHEVs for Daytime Use,” Environmental Research Letters, January 2009. (http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/1748-9326/4/1/014002/)
C.W. King and M.E. Webber, “Water Intensity of Transportation,” Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 42(21), pp 7866-7872 (September 24, 2008).
http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/esthag/asap/abs/es800367m.html
A.D. Cuellar and M.E. Webber, “Cow Power: The Energy and Emissions Benefits of Converting Manure to Biogas,” Environmental Research Letters, July 2008. (Cow Power: http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/1748-9326/3/3/034002) (Most downloaded paper in 2009)

Webber Group Newsfeed RSS Feed |

01.04.10 Webber quoted in Oil & Gas Investor
<more>

01.04.10 Article by Carey King and Michael Webber Published in Solar Today
Carey W. King and Michael E. Webber, "Water vs. Energy: How Solar Power Can Help," Solar Today, January/February 2010. <more>

12.14.09 Webber Quoted in Houston Chronicle
"Prediction: A Carbon-constrained Economy Will Benefit Texas" <more>

12.08.09 Dr. Webber joins board of Scientific American
Dr. Webber was recently invited to join the Board of Advisors of Scientific American, which is the nation's oldest continuously published magazine. The board, which has about 35 members, includes Vinod Khosla, Jeff Sachs, Jim Woolsey, Nobel Laureates, and promi... <more>

12.02.09 Dr. Webber quoted in Daily Texan
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11.10.09 Carey King and David Wogan to Speak
Carey King and David Wogan will be presenting "Biofuels: Not So Green?" as part of Brazil Week on Tuesday, November 10 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the Lone Star Room (3.208) of the Texas Union Building on campus. The event is free and open to the public <more>

11.09.09 Dr. Webber's UN Speech is now available on YouTube
<more>

10.20.09 Amanda Cuellar recognized as outstanding Woman in Engineering
Amand Cuellar is being highlighted as an outstanding member of the Women in Engineering Program at The University of Texas at Austin <more>

10.18.09 Dr. Webber quoted in the New York Times
"California and Texas: Renewable Energy's Odd Couple <more>

10.16.09 Dr. Webber quoted in Popular Mechanics
Dr. Webber was quoted in "Lone Star Energy: Why Texas Will Resist the Call for a Unified Grid" <more>