Energy: A Comparative Analysis of Status and Strategies Between India, China and the U.S.

Even though energy prices are lower than in 2008, the energy problem continues to be one of the major technological challenges facing humanity. The increasing demand for energy in developing countries, and the potential greenhouse effect of emission of CO2 are placing great strains on the continued use of conventional energy sources. In this talk, I first address the melting of northern sea ice and glaciers, what its most likely cause is, and how to mitigate it. Then I address the energy situations and technologies in the U.S., China and India, and discuss their growth plans. I also address the role of renewable technologies in these countries, and the status of various technologies. It is shown that China is leapfrogging over every one, not only in conventional sources, but also in renewable energy technology. Finally, I discuss the critical energy strategies for India. 




About Prof. Vikram L. Dalal

Vikram Dalal was born in Bombay, and received his B.E.(Elec.) degree from VJTI in 1964. He received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University in 1969, and a M.P.A. in Economics, also from Princeton, in 1975. He has had extensive experience in both industry and academia. He has been at Iowa State since 1988. He has graduated 22 Ph.D. students and is mentoring 8 more currently. His expertise is mainly in research on photovoltaic energy conversion, and in energy systems. He was elected a Fellow of both IEEE and the American Physical Society for his contributions in research on photovoltaic energy conversion materials and devices.