Introduction to the Physics of Energy

PH240 - Stanford University - Fall 2025
R. B. Laughlin

Reports

Ben Alexander Understanding the 2021 Texas Power Crisis
Rapid Deployment of Batteries to the California Electric Grid
João Almeida Pathways to Decarbonize Cement Production
Recent Growth in Solar Electricity Production in Brazil
Kush Arora Ocean Energy for Renewable Electricity
High Speed Rail Energy Consumption
Devashish Bhave India's Nitrogen-Fertilizer Challenge
Solar-Powered Desalination
Ivana Chen Perovskite Solar Cells and Applications in Space
Gas Turbine Jet Engines
Julio Contreras Fossil Fuel Consumption in Uruguay
Impact of Amaila Falls Hydropower Project on Guyana's Electricity Generation Mix
Atticus Cummings Solar Powered Container Ships
Waste Disposal Via Space Launch
Erin Daly Overview of Energy Use in the European Union
Gaussian Laser Energy Loss
Marinos Eliades Energy Losses in U.S. Power Transmission and Distribution
How Much Electricity Do Refrigerators Use in California Households?
Patrick Flanagan Ireland's Dependence on Imported Energy
Comparing Energy Output of the Texas Wind Fleet vs. Gas Fleet
Nipun Gorantia Waste-to-Energy Across Borders
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles
Xiao Huang Data Center Cooling Energy Consumption
Comparison of Horizontal and Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines
Zara Jahan Energy Use in Bangladesh's Garment Industry
GaN vs. Silicon in High-Frequency Power Transistors
Dillon Jensen Protecting the Power Grid When Training Artificial Intelligence
Orbital Energy
Pranav Kakhandiki Plastic Recycling
How Much Energy Is in the Tides?
Lauren Korsnick Algae-Based Carbon Capture: Quantifying Feasibility Through Cost and Scalability
Offshore Wind Structures as Artificial Reefs and Their Impact
Kent Kotaka Chuo Shinkansen - A High Speed Japanese "Maglev" Train
Canada's CANDU Reactor Fleet
Andrew Land Bee vs Drone Pollinator Performance
Wind Assisted Cargo Ships
Yidi Liu Recycling Aluminum Compared to Primary Production
Wireless Power Transfer
Raphael Low Hydrogel For Thermal Control to Improve Photovoltaic Efficiency
Practicality of Deploying Small Modular Reactors
Wen-Shin Lu The Use of Biomass and Biofuel and the Future
Green Roofs and Building-Integrated Photovoltaics
Nathan Ly Repurposing Hoover Dam: Pumped Hydroelectric Energy Storage
Molten-Salt vs. Lithium-Ion Storage for Grid-Scale Energy
Brian Ma Total and Relative Energy Use For the Residential Sector in U.S.
New Zealand's Energy Imports
Harnoor Mann Concentration of Lithium Refining in China
Solid State Batteries for Grid Storage
Larry Marshall Decarbonizing the Food Supply: Alternatives to Haber-Bosch Ammonia
Physics of Desalination Brine Disposal
Hannah McCollum Energy Budget of Electrochemical CO₂ Conversion
Ammonia and the Energy Transition
Fareen Mehnaz Battery-Powered Rickshaw in Bangladesh
Hydrothermal Liquefaction Process - Converting Municipal Solid Waste into Biofuel
Abby Pan Cockroaches as a Human Food Source
EU Energy Consumption and the Russo-Ukrainian War
Kimia Sattary Flywheel Energy Storage
Residential Heat Pumps for Sustainable Heating and Cooling
Erik Schreiner The Inner Workings and Increasing Demand for Air Conditioning
Sand Batteries as Sensible Heat Thermal Energy Storage
Amos Sha America's "Invisible Power Plant": Quantifying the Contribution of Small-Scale Solar
The Economic Physics of the Grid: Coal vs. Natural Gas
Katy Shin South Korea's Energy Imports and Nuclear Power
United States Postal Service: Energy Consumption and Sustainability Efforts
Lance Skarada AI's Power Problem: Can SMRs Deliver Ride-Through at Scale?
Semiconductor Manufacturing Electricity from Global Wafer Shipments
Bingcheng Suo The Energy Trade-Offs of Faster Communication
Buoyant Air Turbine
Lauren Takiguchi Aerodynamic Forces and Energy Use in Formula 1 Racing
From Molecular Architecture to Quantum Dynamics: Chlorophyll's Role in Energy Transfer
Nathan Tan The Hidden Costs of Paper Recycling
Mangrove Loss in Malaysia
Nathan Wang Energy Intensity of GDP for Top Economies (2021)
Mass Transit Energy - NYC
Emily Winn A Western Regional Transmission Organization ... Maybe
California Residential Electricity Rate Reform
Audrey Woodrow France's Nuclear Electricity Exports
Textiles and Energy in U.S. Manufacturing
Victor Wu The Economics of Thermochromic Smart Windows
Hot-Air Balloons Physics: The Relationship Between Buoyancy and Temperature
Yuxuan Wu Japan's Oil Imports
CO2 Emission Reduction Through High Speed Rail on the Paris-Lyon Corridor
Galen Xia Economics of Homegrown Leafy Greens: A Break-Even Comparison Using Lettuce
Public Transport Versus Private Cars: A Passenger-Kilometer Energy Comparison
Jeffrey Xia Powering AI Data Centers
Watts on Water: Floating Solar Farms
Ethan Yang LEED Building Certification Emissions Reduction
Carbon Emissions of Commuting from LAX to SFO
Jason Ye Rare-Earth vs Non-Rare-Earth Magnets in EV Motors
Electricity Consumption in U.S. Primary Aluminum Production
Alice Zhou Energy Requirements in Implantable Medical Devices
How Ice Rinks Stay Icy