Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment

Faculty

  • Director

    • Lynn Loo

  • Associate Director

    • Barry P. Rand
    • Z. Jason Ren
    • Elke U. Weber

  • Executive Committee

    • Craig Arnold
    • Rene A. Carmona
    • Michael Celia
    • Claire F. Gmachl
    • Peter R. Jaffe
    • Antoine Kahn
    • Lynn Loo
    • Denise L. Mauzerall
    • Monica Ponce de Leon
    • Stewart C. Prager
    • Barry P. Rand
    • Z. Jason Ren
    • Jennifer L. Rexford
    • Cecilia E. Rouse
    • Gregory D. Scholes
    • Sankaran Sundaresan
    • Elke U. Weber
    • Claire E. White
    • Mark A. Zondlo

  • Professor

    • Z. Jason Ren
    • Elke U. Weber

  • Associate Professor

    • Barry P. Rand
    • Claire E. White

  • Assistant Professor

    • José L. Avalos
    • Minjie Chen
    • Jesse D. Jenkins
    • Egemen Kolemen
    • Forrest M. Meggers

  • Associated Faculty

    • Sigrid M. Adriaenssens
    • Robert H. Austin
    • Jay B. Benziger
    • Andrew B. Bocarsly
    • Elie R. Bou-Zeid
    • Ian C. Bourg
    • M. Christine Boyer
    • Pierre-Thomas Brun
    • Adam S. Burrows
    • Robert J. Cava
    • Paul J. Chirik
    • Stephen Y. Chou
    • Edgar Y. Choueiri
    • Christopher F. Chyba
    • Sujit S. Datta
    • Pablo G. Debenedetti
    • Luc Deike
    • Abigail G. Doyle
    • Jianqing Fan
    • Nathaniel J. Fisch
    • Marc Fleurbaey
    • Mario I. Gandelsonas
    • Maria E. Garlock
    • Alexander Glaser
    • Branko Glišić
    • Noreen J. Goldman
    • Robert J. Goldston
    • John T. Groves
    • Lars O. Hedin
    • Mikko P. Haataja
    • Bernard A. Haykel
    • Marcus N. Hultmark
    • Niraj K. Jha
    • Yiguang Ju
    • Bruce E. Koel
    • Alain L. Kornhauser
    • Chung K. Law
    • Ruby B. Lee
    • Simon A. Levin
    • Paul Lewis
    • Ning Lin
    • A. James Link
    • Sharad Malik
    • Luigi Martinelli
    • Margaret R. Martonosi
    • Julia Mikhailova
    • Prateek Mittal
    • Michael E. Mueller
    • Guy J.P. Nordenson
    • Nai Phuan Ong
    • Michael Oppenheimer
    • Stephen W. Pacala
    • Athanassios Z. Panagiotopoulos
    • Catherine A. Peters
    • H. Vincent Poor
    • Warren B. Powell
    • Joshua D. Rabinowitz
    • Herschel A. Rabitz
    • Richard A. Register
    • Esteban A. Rossi-Hansberg
    • Clancy W. Rowley
    • Michele L. Sarazen
    • Jeffrey Schwartz
    • Annabella Selloni
    • Eldar B. Shafir
    • Daniel M. Sigman
    • Frederik J. Simons
    • Jaswinder P. Singh
    • K. Ronnie Sircar
    • James A. Smith
    • Erik J. Sorensen
    • Howard A. Stone
    • James C. Sturm
    • Diana I. Tamir
    • Jeroen Tromp
    • Robert J. Vanderbei
    • Naveen Verma
    • David Wentzlaff
    • David Wilcove
    • Wei Xiong
    • Ali Yazdani
    • Xinning Zhang
    • For a full list of faculty members and fellows please visit the ACEE website.

Program Information

Addressing the ever-increasing worldwide demand for energy, while minimizing impact on the environment, is key to creating a sustainable future. The Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment (ACEE) brings together researchers and educators in the interdisciplinary fields of engineering, architecture, the social and natural sciences, and public policy to address this fundamental challenge of the 21st century. Six interacting research areas form the heart of the Andlinger Center's focus.  Researchers in these areas work together to address the monumental challenges that impact our energy and environmental future.  The research areas are: the built environment, transportation and infrastructure; electricity production, transmission, and storage; fuels and chemicals; environmental sensing and remediation; decision and behavioral science, policy, and economics in partnership with the Woodrow Wilson School; and environmental and climate science in partnership with Princeton Environmental Institute.

An important goal of the center is to provide Princeton undergraduates with the opportunity to explore issues related to energy and the environment in a multi-dimensional fashion. These dimensions include building and deploying energy systems, quantitatively analyzing the impact of these systems on economic growth and society, and evaluating their impact on climate change and the environment. The center aims to train the next generation of leaders who will help forge a sustainable future through their work in science, engineering, architecture, economics, public policy, and environmental areas related to energy systems.

Certifiate Programs in ACEE

Program in Technology and Society: Energy Track

The Program in Technology and Society: Energy Track, jointly offered with the Keller Center for Innovation in Engineering Education, is designed to explore the intersection of technology and society, and how their co-evolution affects the implementation of innovative energy technologies. An appreciation of different points of view on these issues is critical to creating practical and effective energy solutions. Students in all disciplines—humanities, social sciences, physical and natural sciences, and engineering—who are interested in understanding and working on energy solutions can benefit from gaining such perspectives outside their particular area of focus. The Energy Track certificate, which showcases and emphasizes a broad array of energy issues and societal concerns, helps provide such perspectives.

Program in Sustainable Energy

The Program in Sustainable Energy focuses on studies of current energy resources, the development of energy systems that support sustainable economic growth, the nexus of energy security and environmental harmony, and an understanding of global climate and environmental change. Science and engineering students interested in pursuing graduate studies or careers in fields related to energy, as well as humanities and policy students who desire a more technical grasp of the world’s energy landscape, will be exposed to a broad spectrum of energy technologies.

Further information about both programs is available on the center's website.

Courses

ENE 202 Designing Sustainable Systems (also
ARC 208
/
EGR 208
/
ENV 206
) Spring STN

Integrating the process of design and system thinking with an understanding of fundamental environmental and societal principals of sustainability is necessary to enact sustainable societal changes. This course starts with a study of the science related to sustainability and how open-ended sustainable development problems can be addressed through a process of design, and leads to a major group design project focused on devising and demonstrating an opportunity for sustainability on campus. Fabrication, simulation, sensor and graphical tools will be incorporated into the design process learning and deployed in precept. Instructed by: F. Meggers

ENE 203 Fundamentals of Solid Earth Science (See GEO 203)

ENE 221 Thermodynamics (See MAE 221)

ENE 228 Energy Technologies in the 21st Century (See MAE 228)

ENE 259 Energy Innovation and Entrepreneurship (also
EGR 259
) Fall

Students will learn how to identify and analyze technology and business innovations in energy, determine likelihood of success in the contemporary market, and design companies and careers to maximize their positive impact on global energy and environmental progress. Students will gain an understanding of unique aspects of energy technologies, markets, and businesses, including the underlying science, influence of government policies, and how innovations can proliferate through new companies and business models. Focus will be on hardware and software innovations for US and global markets, including distributed energy generation and use. Instructed by: Staff

ENE 267 Materials for Energy Technologies and Efficiency (also
MSE 287
/
CEE 267
) STN

An introductory course focusing on new materials that are mitigating worldwide anthropogenic CO2 emissions and associated greenhouse gases. Emphasis will be placed on how materials science is used in energy technologies and energy efficiency; including solar power, cements and natural materials, sustainable buildings, batteries, water filtration, and wind and ocean energy. Topics include: nanomaterials; composites; energy conversion processes; cost implications; life-cycle analysis; material degradation. Instructed by: C. White

ENE 273 Renewable Energy and Smart Grids (also
ELE 273
) Spring STN

This course explores broadly renewable energy systems and smart grids. Technical and operational principles of the modern electric grids will be introduced, followed by an overview of various energy sources from fossil-fuel generators to photovoltaic systems. The intermittency of renewable energy systems and its impact on the electric grid will be discussed together with its potential solutions: energy storage systems and demand response techniques. Emerging techniques, such as micro-grids and plug-in-electric vehicles will be reviewed. Economics and public-policy issues will be explored. Instructed by: M. Chen

ENE 304 Environmental Engineering and Energy (See CEE 304)

ENE 305 Environmental Fluid Mechanics (See CEE 305)

ENE 308 Engineering the Climate: Technical & Policy Challenges (also
MAE 308
/
GEO 308
)

This seminar focuses on the science, engineering, policy and ethics of climate engineering -- the deliberate human intervention in the world climate in order to reduce global warming. Climate/ocean models and control theory are introduced. The technology, economics, and climate response for the most favorable climate engineering methods (carbon dioxide removal, solar radiation management) are reviewed. Policy and ethics challenges are discussed. Instructed by: E. Kolemen

ENE 309 The Science of Fission and Fusion Energy (See AST 309)

ENE 311 Global Air Pollution (See CEE 311)

ENE 314 The Anthropology of Development (See ANT 314)

ENE 318 Fundamentals of Biofuels (also
CBE 318
) Fall STN

What are biofuels, and why are we making them? What are 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation biofuels? What is the controversy surrounding the food versus fuel debate? Will thermocatalysis or genetic engineering improve biofuel production? Can we make biofuels directly from light or electricity? These are some of the questions we will answer through engaging discussions, primary literature readings, and hands-on experience in making biofuels. In precept we will make bioethanol from corn (beer) or molasses (wine), biodiesel from cooking oil, and oil from algae. Instructed by: J. Avalos

ENE 328 Energy for a Greenhouse-Constrained World (See MAE 328)

ENE 334 Global Environmental Issues (See CEE 334)

ENE 335 The Energy Water Nexus (See CBE 335)

ENE 366 Climate Change: Impacts, Adaptation, Policy (See GEO 366)

ENE 372 Rapid Switch: The Transition Challenge to Low-carbon Energy (also
EGR 372
/
ENV 372
) Spring

The 2015 Paris Accord signaled a global consensus that climate change is a major threat to ecosystems, livelihoods and the economy and that energy systems must change. Not well comprehended are the scale and pace of the needed transformation. Bottlenecks and constraints are inevitable with rapid, large-scale change. These must be anticipated and addressed to achieve climate goals -- this is the essence of Rapid Switch analysis. Prospective regional and sectoral energy transitions are analyzed through multi-disciplinary lenses to identify bottlenecks and potential solutions and policies to maximize the pace of transition. Instructed by: E. Larson

ENE 414 Renewable Energy Systems

A thorough introduction to renewable energy systems. Students will learn the physical, chemical, and engineering principles underlying renewable energy (RE) technologies: principles of operation of RE systems and technical challenges in planning and installing them; environmental and social impacts of energy technologies; challenges of integrating RE sources into existing energy systems; energy technology innovation systems; and economics of RE systems. Implications of transition to RE-dominated systems will be evaluated. The national and international policy context for RE will also be discussed. Instructed by: Staff

ENE 421 Green and Catalytic Chemistry (See CBE 421)

ENE 423 Heat Transfer (See MAE 423)

ENE 424 Energy Storage Systems (See MAE 424)

ENE 425 Introductory Seismology (See GEO 424)

ENE 427 Energy Conversion and the Environment: Transportation Applications (See MAE 427)

ENE 431 Solar Energy Conversion (also
ELE 431
/
ENV 431
/
EGR 431
) QR

Principles and design of solar energy conversion systems. Quantity and availability of solar energy. Physics and chemistry of solar energy conversion: solar optics, optical excitation, capture of excited energy, and transport of excitations or electronic charge. Conversion methods: thermal, wind, photoelectric, photoelectrochemical, photosynthetic, biomass. Solar energy systems: low and high temperature conversion, photovoltaics. Storage of solar energy. Conversion efficiency, systems cost, and lifecycle considerations. Instructed by: B. Rand

ENE 441 Solid-State Physics I (See ELE 441)

ENE 442 Solid-State Physics II (See ELE 442)

ENE 453 Wind Turbine Aerodynamics and Technology (also
MAE 453
)

The course addresses basic wind turbine technology such as aerodynamics, control and structural aspects. Theory will be provided that can be used to predict the aerodynamic loads on the wind turbine blades and their impact on the structure with respect to internal loads and deflections. The influence of the stochastic loads from atmospheric turbulence will be addressed and the structural dynamics of a wind turbine and possible instabilities will also be covered. Small computer programs will be written based on the lectured theory and verified in some papers. Instructed by: Staff

ENE 475 Human Factors 2.0-Psychology for Engineering, Energy, and Environmental Decisions (also
PSY 475
) Fall

Human Factors 1.0 studied how humans interact with machines and technology, bringing engineering and psychology into contact in the 1950s and giving rise to theories of user-centric design. This course will cover recent theoretical advances in cognitive and social psychology, especially in human judgment and decision making, that are relevant for engineers and choice architects as they address technical and societal challenges related to sustainability. Such psychological theory (human factors 2.0) can be creatively applied to designs decision environments that help people overcome present bias, loss aversion, and status-quo bias. Instructed by: E. Weber

ENE 477 Engineering Design for Sustainable Development (See CEE 477)

ENE 481 Principles of Power Electronics (See ELE 481)