Welcome to the Webber Energy Group

Journal Articles

"Using Market-Based Dispatching with Environmental Price Signals to Reduce Emissions and Water Use at Power Plants in the Texas Grid", Nawaf S Alhajeri, Pearl Donohoo, Ashlynn S Stillwell, Carey W King, Mort D Webster, Michael E Webber and David T Allen, (2011) Environmental Research Letters, Read Article.

"Using Energy Audits to Investigate the Impacts of Common Air-conditioning Design and Installation Issues on Peak Power Demand and Energy Consumption in Austin, Texas", a paper by Joshua D. Rhodes, has been published in the journal Energy and Buildings (2011).  Mr. Rhodes, a student working on the Pecan Street Project, used a unique dataset of energy audit information in Austin to determine that a significant number of air conditioners are oversized. Rightsizing those AC units, along with other efficiency upgrades, could save 8% of peak power demand in Austin.  Read Article

"Technical Analysis of a River Basin-Based Model of Advanced Power Plant Cooling Technologies for Mitigating Water Management Challenges", A.S. Stillwell , M.E. Clayton and M.E. Webber, Environmental Research Letters (2011): Read Article.

"The Energy Return on Investment for Algal Biocrude: Results for a Research Production Facility," C. M. Beal, R. E. Hebner, M. E. Webber, R. S. Ruoff and A. F. Seibert, BioEnergy Research, July 11, 2011. Read Article.

"An Integrated Energy Storage Scheme for a Dispatchable Solar and Wind Powered Energy System", J. B. Garrison and M. E. Webber, Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, July 5, 2011. Read Article.

"Pressurized Air Tops batteries In Intermittent Energy Storage", S. Fox, Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, July 25, 2011. Read Article.

"Air Quality Impacts of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles in Texas: Evaluating Three Battery Charging Scenarios," T. M. Thompson, C. W. King, D. T. Allen and M. E. Webber, Environ. Res. Lett. 6 024004  Read Article.   

"Comparing Post-Combustion CO₂ Capture Operation at Retrofitted Coal-Fired Power Plants in the Texas and Great Britain Electric Grids," S. M. Cohen, H. L. Chalmers, M. E. Webber and C. W. King, Environ. Res. Lett. 6 024001 Read Article. 

“Utilizing Solar Thermal Energy for Post-Combustion CO2 Capture,” S. M. Cohen, M. E. Webber, and G. T. Rochelle, Journal of Energy and Power Engineering (2010).

“A Framework and Methodology for Reporting Geographically- and Temporally-Resolved Solar Data: A Case Study of Texas,” D.M. Wogan, M.E. Webber and A.K. da Silva. Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy.

“Wasted Food, Wasted Energy: The Embedded Energy in Food Waste in the United States,” A.D. Cuellar and M.E. Webber. Environmental Science and Technology, July 21, 2010. Read Article

“The Energy-Water Nexus in Texas,” A.S. Stillwell, C.W. King, M.E. Webber, I.J. Duncan and A. Hardberger. Ecology & Society.

“A Framework to Report the Production of Renewable Diesel from Algae,” C.M. Beal, C.H. Smith, M.E. Webber, R.S. Ruoff, R.E. Hebner. BioEnergy Research, August 12, 2010. (DOI 10.1007/s12155-010-9099-x). Read Article

“Desalination And Long-Haul Water Transfer: A Case Study Of The Energy-Water Nexus In Texas,” A.S. Stillwell, C.W. King and M.E. Webber. Texas Water Journal, Volume 1, Number 1, Pages 33-41, September 2010. Read Article

Read more: Journal Articles

Announcements

December 2011

Dr. Michael Webber is promoted to Associate Professor with tenure at University of Texas at Austin.

October 2011

Dr. Michael E. Webber is the recipient of the Cockrell School of Engineering Award for Outstanding Teaching by an Assistant Professor.  

Dr. Webber has impacted and inspired students by creating five new courses on energy and sustainability and by teaching nearly a thousand students in four years.  Dr. Webber has mentored many students who have written well-received papers, and some have even gone on to serve in internships at the White House and the Department of Energy.

September 2011

Sheril Kirshenbaum has been selected as an American Marshall Memorial Fellow.  The Marshall Memorial Fellowship was created by the German Marshall Fund of the United States to expose future U.S. leaders to a changing and expanding Europe. Website.

Roger Duncan is GridWeek's 2011 Award Recipient.  The Award goes to an individual or organization who has presented a rational view of the potential future of world energy systems.  Website.

August 2011

Pecan Street Project Inc., Austin Technology Incubator (ATI) and the Webber Energy Group will host a weeklong course on entrepreneurship and business development in the clean energy and smart grid sectors August 15-19, 2011 at the AT&T Conference Center at the University of Texas at Austin.  For more information or to register, CLICK HERE.

July 2011

"Pressurized Air Tops batteries In Intermittent Energy Storage", S. Fox, Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, July 25, 2011. Read Article.

June 2011

Dr. Webber selected as UT 2011 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award recipient

The Board of Regents just announced the 2011 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards for UT’s nine academic institutions and Dr. Webber is a recipient. Believed to be among the highest in the nation for rewarding outstanding undergraduate faculty performance and innovation, the awards range from $15,000 to $30,000 and are offered in recognition of those who serve our students in an exemplary manner. Website.

May 2011

James Newman has been selected to participate in AMD's Grand Challenge Scholars Program summer workshop in July at AMD.

Dr. Webber's “Energy at the Movies” was under the YouTube spotlight.  Watch now.

March 2011

Melissa C Lott was selected for the prestigious Presidential Management Fellows Program class of 2011.  One of only four engineers selected, she is the first PMF fellow to be nominated and selected from UT's Cockrell School of Engineering.

February 2011

Jared Garrison received one of the two UT Cockrell School of Engineering Graduate Student Leadership awards, February 21, 2011.

Christopher Mayer received the Spring 2011 Undergraduate Research Fellowship .

Ashlynn Stillwell's master's thesis receives 2^nd place AWWA Academic Achievement Award for 2011.

Melissa Lott’s article on Texas’s electric grid published in Scientific American’s Guest Blog.

December 2010

Ben Gully wins the Texas Exes Teaching Award for 2010.

Melissa Lott’s article on Texas’s electric grid published in Scientific American’s Guest Blog.

November 2010

David Wogan’s article on algal biofuels published in Scientific American’s Guest Blog

Ben Gully won a student award to attend the ASME-IMECE conference in Canada.

John Fyffe received The Marathon Oil Scholarship which is given to UT sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are interested in working in the energy industry.  The students must also exhibit strong academic, leadership, and teamwork skills.  The Scholarship awards $4500 split between two semesters for the recipient.

October 2010
Aaron Townsend received the top honor from the Foundation of the Association of Energy Engineers: The 2010 Albert Thumann Scholarship Award.

Read more: Announcements

Newsfeed

01.29.2012  The Austin American Statesman quotes Dr. Michael Webber in "Rethinking Water: Growing Population, limited Supply Mean Costs Destined to Rise, Experts Say", by Farzad Mashhood, Read Article.

01.23.2012  The Austin American Statesman quotes Dr. Michael Webber in "Pecan Street's Aim: Create Path for Consumers into Smart Grid's Future", by Laylan Copelin, Read Article.

01.23.2012  Dr. Michael Webber and Sheril Kirshenbaum's article, "It's Time to Shine the Spotlight on Energy Education" is featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Jan. 23, 2012, Read Article.

 01.2012  Dr. Michael Webber's article "How to Make the Food System More Energy Efficient" is featured in Scientific American Magazine, January 2012.  Read Article.

11.18.2011 Dr. Michael Webber and Roger Duncan have been selected for the State Department's Senior ECPA (Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas) Fellows Program. This program sends pre-selected U.S. technical experts from the academic, non-profit or private sectors to serve as consultants and speakers to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, sharing best practices and expertise in clean energy, sustainable urban development, climate change adaption and reducing emissions from deforestation. Click here for website.

10.28.2011 Dr. Webber Op Ed in The Houston Chronicle regarding Obama and Energy Policy: "Obama deserves credit for strong growth in energy industry". Read Article.

10.16.2011 Dr. Webber was interviewed on KVUE regarding National Plug-In Day at Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center in Austin.  View Clip.

10.12.2011 The Dallas Morning News quotes Dr. Webber regarding Rick Perry's Energy Plan: "Perry Banks on Pro-Drilling Energy Plan". Read Article. 

10.2.2011 The New York Times quotes Dr. Webber regarding new algae research project: "U.T. Making a Big Bet on the Future of Algae".  Read Article.

9.30.2011 The New York Times article "Austin Studies Power Grid, Including Plug-In Cars" featuring the Pecan Street Project is accompanied by a photo with WEG members, Charles Upshaw and Joshua Rhodes, who were on site doing research during PSP's Plug-in vehicle event. Read Article.

9.27.2011 The New York Times quotes Dr. Webber regarding the practice of natural gas flaring: Read Article. 

9.18.2011  The New York Times Business section features research done by Ashlynn Stillwell, Mary Clayton and Dr. Webber in an article titled "Energy Drains Water Supplies".  Read Article

9.8.2011 Dr. Webber speaks on WAMC's Academic Minute about Food Waste as Energy Waste.  Listen now.

9.7.2011 "Using Energy Audits to Investigate the Impacts of Common Air-conditioning Design and Installation Issues on Peak Power Demand and Energy Consumption in Austin, Texas", a paper by Joshua D. Rhodes, has been published in the journal Energy and Buildings.  Mr. Rhodes, a student working on the Pecan Street Project, used a unique dataset of energy audit information in Austin to determine that a significant number of air conditioners are oversized. Rightsizing those AC units, along with other efficiency upgrades, could save 8% of peak power demand in Austin.  Read Article

8.4.2011 "Technical Analysis of a River Basin-Based Model of Advanced Power Plant Cooling Technologies for Mitigating Water Management Challenges", a paper by A.S. Stillwell , M.E. Clayton and M.E. Webber, has been published in Environmental Research Letters:  Read Article.

7.28.11 Pecan Street Project Inc., Austin Technology Incubator (ATI) and the Webber Energy Group will host a weeklong course on entrepreneurship and business development in the clean energy and smart grid sectors August 15-19, 2011 at the AT&T Conference Center at the University of Texas at Austin.  For more information or to register, CLICK HERE.

7.14.11 "Defining a Standard Measure for Whole System EROI Combining Economic "Top-Down" and LCA "Bottom-Up" Accounting" by Carey King & Jay Zarnikau, U. of Texas Austin, and Phil Henshaw, HDS Systems Design Science Natural Systems Physics and Sustainability has won the Best Paper Award in the Energy Sustainability 2010 Conference.

7.11.11 "The Electrical Industry of the Future; from provider to partner", an article by Melissa C. Lott, Joshua D. Rhodes and Charles R. Upshaw, has been published in July 2011 issue of Construction News. Read Article.

7.11.11 Melissa C. Lott has started a blog with Scientific American.  Read blog here.

7.11.11 Kelly Twomey's paper won the "Best Student Paper Award" for the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) 4th International Conference on Energy Sustainability.

6.9.11  Kelly Twomey participates in the Union of Concerned Scientists Young Scientists Webinar on Energy and Water.  RSVP link here.

5.26.11 Dr. Webber featured in Tech Talk.  Read blog here.

5.5.11  Dr. Webber featured in Business Week. Read Article.

4.28.11 Dr. Webber's Energy at the Movies PBS lecture and panel discussion available for viewing. Watch now.

3.24.11 Dr. Webber featured in New Scientist. Read Article.

3.3.11 Dr. Webber featured in The Austin Chronicle. Read Article

12.05.10 Dr. Webber featured in the New York Times article. Read Article.

11.22.10 Dr. Webber's article featured in Earth Magazine.
http://www.earthmagazine.org/earth/article/3cc-7da-b-16

11.18.10 Radio feature on Dr. Webber's work aired.
Listen Here: http://www.scienceupdate.com/index.php

11.5.10  Dr. Webber speaks on the energy-water nexus at the Council of Energy Research and Education Leaders (CEREL) Annual Conference: New Approaches to Energy Solutions.

10.28.10 Dr. Webber awarded the Dad's Association Centennial Teaching Fellowship More Information

10.25.10 Dr. Webber featured in the Houston Chronicle Read Article

10.11.10 Dr. Webber featured on NPR's Science Friday

10.07.10 Dr. Webber will be speaking on Science Friday on NPR this Friday, October 8, 2010, 1:40-1:50 p.m.

10.04.10 Dr. Webber and Amanda Cuellar's article on Food Waste featured in numerous media outlets: Inhabitat, Baltimore Sun, Green Packs, Cause Because, Tree Hugger, and MMC-News.

Read more: Newsfeed