Benjamin K. Sovacool
Encyclopedia
Benjamin K. Sovacool is a Visiting Associate Professor at Vermont Law School
and founding Director of the Energy Justice Program at their Institute for Energy and Environment. He was formerly an Assistant Professor and Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore
.
Sovacool's research interests include energy policy
, environmental issue
s, and science and technology policy
. He is the author or editor of eight books and more than 130 peer reviewed academic articles on various aspects of energy policy
and climate change
, and has presented research at more than 60 international conferences and symposia. He is a frequent contributor to Energy Policy, Energy & Environment, Electricity Journal, and Energy, and Energy for Sustainable Development.
In 2007 Sovacool co-edited Energy and American Society: Thirteen Myths and in 2008 he wrote The Dirty Energy Dilemma
which won a 2009 Nautilus Award
. His other books include Powering the Green Economy, The Routledge Handbook of Energy Security, Contesting the Future of Nuclear Power
, and Climate Change and Global Energy Security.
and founding Director of the Energy Justice Program at their Institute for Energy and Environment. He was previously assistant professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
at the National University of Singapore
, and Research Fellow in the Energy Governance Program at the Centre on Asia and Globalization. Sovacool has a PhD in Science and Technology Studies
from Virginia Tech.
Sovacool has served in advisory and research capacities at the National University of Singapore, U.S. National Science Foundation's Electric Power Networks Efficiency and Security Program, Virginia Tech Consortium on Energy Restructuring, Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Semiconductor Materials and Equipment International, U.S. Department of Energy's Climate Change Technology Program, Union of Concerned Scientists, the International Institute for Applied Systems and Analysis near Vienna, Austria, and the International Energy Agency in Paris, France.
Sovacool has consulted for the Asian Development Bank, United Nations Development Program, and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
Sovacool's research interests include energy policy
, environmental issue
s, and science and technology policy
. He is the author or editor of eight books and more than 130 peer reviewed academic articles on various aspects of energy policy
and climate change
, and has presented research at more than 60 international conferences and symposia. He is a frequent contributor to Energy Policy, Energy & Environment, Electricity Journal, and Energy, and Energy for Sustainable Development. Sovacool has also appeared on the BBC World News, Bloomberg Live!, and Channel News Asia and been interviewed by Newsweek International, Associated Press
, United Press International
.
His work on carbon emissions from nuclear power stations has also been reviewed in Nature
.
and the Annals of the Association of American Geographers
. In 2008, he wrote The Dirty Energy Dilemma
: What’s Blocking Clean Power in the United States which was published by Praeger and won a 2009 Nautilus Award
.
In Contesting the Future of Nuclear Power
(2011) Sovacool says that there is a "consensus among a broad base of independent, nonpartisan experts that nuclear power plants are a poor choice for producing electricity", and that "energy efficiency programs and renewable power technologies are better than nuclear power plants".
His other books include:
Vermont Law School
Vermont Law School is a private, American Bar Association accredited law school located in South Royalton, Vermont . The Law School has one of the United States' leading programs in environmental law, and the Law School is currently ranked #1 in Environmental Law by U.S...
and founding Director of the Energy Justice Program at their Institute for Energy and Environment. He was formerly an Assistant Professor and Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
.
Sovacool's research interests include energy policy
Energy policy
Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity has decided to address issues of energy development including energy production, distribution and consumption...
, environmental issue
Environmental issue
Environmental issues are negative aspects of human activity on the biophysical environment. Environmentalism, a social and environmental movement that started in the 1960s, addresses environmental issues through advocacy, education and activism.-Types:...
s, and science and technology policy
Science policy
Science policy is an area of public policy concerned with the policies that affect the conduct of the science and research enterprise, including the funding of science, often in pursuance of other national policy goals such as technological innovation to promote commercial product development,...
. He is the author or editor of eight books and more than 130 peer reviewed academic articles on various aspects of energy policy
Energy policy
Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity has decided to address issues of energy development including energy production, distribution and consumption...
and climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
, and has presented research at more than 60 international conferences and symposia. He is a frequent contributor to Energy Policy, Energy & Environment, Electricity Journal, and Energy, and Energy for Sustainable Development.
In 2007 Sovacool co-edited Energy and American Society: Thirteen Myths and in 2008 he wrote The Dirty Energy Dilemma
The Dirty Energy Dilemma
The Dirty Energy Dilemma: What’s Blocking Clean Power in the United States is a 2008 book by academic Benjamin K. Sovacool, published by Praeger. In the book, Sovacool explores problems with the current U.S...
which won a 2009 Nautilus Award
Nautilus Award
Nautilus Award is a Polish science fiction and fantasy award created by Robert J. Szmidt of the Science Fiction magazine. The award is named after the cephalopods of that name ....
. His other books include Powering the Green Economy, The Routledge Handbook of Energy Security, Contesting the Future of Nuclear Power
Contesting the Future of Nuclear Power
Contesting the Future of Nuclear Power: A Critical Global Assessment of Atomic Energy is a 2011 book by Benjamin K. Sovacool, published by World Scientific. The nuclear power industry is preparing for a nuclear renaissance, but this book states "that a global nuclear renaissance would bring immense...
, and Climate Change and Global Energy Security.
Academic experience
Sovacool is a Visiting Associate Professor at Vermont Law SchoolVermont Law School
Vermont Law School is a private, American Bar Association accredited law school located in South Royalton, Vermont . The Law School has one of the United States' leading programs in environmental law, and the Law School is currently ranked #1 in Environmental Law by U.S...
and founding Director of the Energy Justice Program at their Institute for Energy and Environment. He was previously assistant professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy is a school of the National University of Singapore . It was established in 1992 as the Master of Public Policy Programme under the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of National University of Singapore in collaboration with the Kennedy School of Government...
at the National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
, and Research Fellow in the Energy Governance Program at the Centre on Asia and Globalization. Sovacool has a PhD in Science and Technology Studies
Science and technology studies
Science, technology and society is the study of how social, political, and cultural values affect scientific research and technological innovation, and how these, in turn, affect society, politics and culture...
from Virginia Tech.
Sovacool has served in advisory and research capacities at the National University of Singapore, U.S. National Science Foundation's Electric Power Networks Efficiency and Security Program, Virginia Tech Consortium on Energy Restructuring, Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Semiconductor Materials and Equipment International, U.S. Department of Energy's Climate Change Technology Program, Union of Concerned Scientists, the International Institute for Applied Systems and Analysis near Vienna, Austria, and the International Energy Agency in Paris, France.
Sovacool has consulted for the Asian Development Bank, United Nations Development Program, and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.
Research work
Energy policy
Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity has decided to address issues of energy development including energy production, distribution and consumption...
, environmental issue
Environmental issue
Environmental issues are negative aspects of human activity on the biophysical environment. Environmentalism, a social and environmental movement that started in the 1960s, addresses environmental issues through advocacy, education and activism.-Types:...
s, and science and technology policy
Science policy
Science policy is an area of public policy concerned with the policies that affect the conduct of the science and research enterprise, including the funding of science, often in pursuance of other national policy goals such as technological innovation to promote commercial product development,...
. He is the author or editor of eight books and more than 130 peer reviewed academic articles on various aspects of energy policy
Energy policy
Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity has decided to address issues of energy development including energy production, distribution and consumption...
and climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
, and has presented research at more than 60 international conferences and symposia. He is a frequent contributor to Energy Policy, Energy & Environment, Electricity Journal, and Energy, and Energy for Sustainable Development. Sovacool has also appeared on the BBC World News, Bloomberg Live!, and Channel News Asia and been interviewed by Newsweek International, Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
.
His work on carbon emissions from nuclear power stations has also been reviewed in Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
.
Books
In 2007, Sovacool co-edited Energy and American Society: Thirteen Myths which has been reviewed in Energy PolicyEnergy policy
Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity has decided to address issues of energy development including energy production, distribution and consumption...
and the Annals of the Association of American Geographers
Association of American Geographers
The Association of American Geographers is a non-profit scientific and educational society founded in 1904 and aimed at advancing the understanding, study, and importance of geography and related fields...
. In 2008, he wrote The Dirty Energy Dilemma
The Dirty Energy Dilemma
The Dirty Energy Dilemma: What’s Blocking Clean Power in the United States is a 2008 book by academic Benjamin K. Sovacool, published by Praeger. In the book, Sovacool explores problems with the current U.S...
: What’s Blocking Clean Power in the United States which was published by Praeger and won a 2009 Nautilus Award
Nautilus Award
Nautilus Award is a Polish science fiction and fantasy award created by Robert J. Szmidt of the Science Fiction magazine. The award is named after the cephalopods of that name ....
.
In Contesting the Future of Nuclear Power
Contesting the Future of Nuclear Power
Contesting the Future of Nuclear Power: A Critical Global Assessment of Atomic Energy is a 2011 book by Benjamin K. Sovacool, published by World Scientific. The nuclear power industry is preparing for a nuclear renaissance, but this book states "that a global nuclear renaissance would bring immense...
(2011) Sovacool says that there is a "consensus among a broad base of independent, nonpartisan experts that nuclear power plants are a poor choice for producing electricity", and that "energy efficiency programs and renewable power technologies are better than nuclear power plants".
His other books include:
- Miguel MendonçaMiguel MendoncaMiguel Mendonça is a writer, focussing on sustainability. He studied forestry, landscape management, journalism, geography, history, social science and environmental ethics. He is most associated with work on feed-in tariffs, a renewable energy policy...
, David Jacobs and Benjamin K. Sovacool (2009). Powering the Green Economy: The Feed-In Tariff Handbook, EarthscanEarthscanEarthscan is an English language publisher of books and journals on climate change, sustainable development and environmental technology for academic, professional and general readers....
. - Benjamin K. Sovacool (Ed.) (2010). The Routledge Handbook of Energy Security, RoutledgeRoutledgeRoutledge is a British publishing house which has operated under a succession of company names and latterly as an academic imprint. Its origins may be traced back to the 19th-century London bookseller George Routledge...
. - Marilyn A. BrownMarilyn A. BrownMarilyn A. Brown is an American geographer on the faculty of the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is a member of the National Commission on Energy Policy and the Tennessee Valley Authority board. She previously worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where she held several leadership...
and Benjamin K. Sovacool (2011). Climate Change and Global Energy Security: An Overview of Technology and Policy Options, MIT PressMIT PressThe MIT Press is a university press affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts .-History:...
. - Benjamin K. Sovacool and Scott Valentine (forthcoming). The International Politics of Nuclear Power: Economics, Security and Governance, Routledge.
- Benjamin K. Sovacool, and IM Drupady (forthcoming). The Governance of Small-Scale Renewable Energy in Developing Asia, (New York: Ashgate).
See also
- Peter A. BradfordPeter A. BradfordPeter A. Bradford is a former member of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and former chair of the Maine and New York utility commissions. He teaches energy policy and law at the Vermont Law School and has taught at Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies...
- Amory LovinsAmory LovinsAmory Bloch Lovins is an American environmental scientist and writer, Chairman and Chief Scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute. He has worked in the field of energy policy and related areas for four decades...
- Mycle SchneiderMycle SchneiderMycle Schneider is a nuclear energy consultant based in Paris, and lead author of The World Nuclear Industry Status Reports...
- M.V. RamanaM.V. RamanaM. V. Ramana is a physicist who works at the Nuclear Futures Laboratory and the Program on Science and Global Security, both at Princeton University, on the future of nuclear power in the context of climate change and nuclear disarmament...
- David A. SchlisselDavid A. SchlisselDavid A. Schlissel has been a Senior Consultant with Synapse Energy Economics since 2000. For 30 years he has worked on complex engineering and economic issues mainly in the field of energy management. This work has ranged from conducting technical investigations, through to presenting expert...
- Stephen Thomas (professor)Stephen Thomas (professor)Stephen Thomas is a professor at the University of Greenwich Business School, working in the area of energy policy. Before moving to the University of Greenwich in 2001, Thomas worked for 22 years at the University of Sussex.-Research work:...
- Mark DiesendorfMark DiesendorfMark Diesendorf teaches Environmental Studies at the University of New South Wales, Australia. He was formerly Professor of Environmental Science at...
- Renewable energy policyRenewable energy policyRenewable energy policy is the principal driver of the growth in renewable energy use. As of 2011, 119 countries have some form of national renewable energy policy target or renewable support policy. National targets now exist in at least 98 countries...
- Comparisons of life-cycle greenhouse gas emissionsComparisons of life-cycle greenhouse gas emissionsComparisons of life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions attempt to calculate the emissions of greenhouse gases or solely carbon dioxide over the full life of a power source, from groundbreaking to fuel sources to waste management back to greenfield status....