Systems Thinking in Energy: Navigating Costs, Emissions, and Impact
Learn how to conduct systems-level energy analysis using a novel modeling tool developed by MIT that will help you explore pathways to decarbonization and climate change mitigation.
Systems Thinking in Energy: Navigating Costs, Emissions, and Impact
Learn how to conduct systems-level energy analysis using a novel modeling tool developed by MIT that will help you explore pathways to decarbonization and climate change mitigation.
The energy transition involves navigating complex tradeoffs between reducing carbon emissions, lowering costs, ensuring reliability, and scaling renewable energy solutions. Making smart decisions requires more than technical knowledge – it demands a systems thinking mindset.
What you'll learn
- How to apply systems thinking to complex energy problems
- A structured approach to comparing energy technologies and policies
- Methods to perform cost, emissions, and tradeoff analysis
- How to make consistent “apples-to-apples” comparisons across energy technologies and pathways
- How to use Sesame to model and quantify real-world energy decisions
Prerequisites
- Strong English language skills recommended
- Ability to perform college-level mathematical operations
- Study of physics, engineering, and/or environment science helpful
Meet your instructors
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Professor of Applied Economics -
Co-founder & CEO of Sesame Sustainability
Christopher Knittel
Christopher Knittel
Professor of Applied Economics
Christopher R. Knittel is the George P. Shultz Professor of Applied Economics at the Sloan School of Management, Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, and Deputy Director of Policy of the Energy Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He joined the faculty at MIT in 2011, having taught previously at UC Davis and Boston University. Professor Knittel received his B.A. in economics and political science from the California State University, Stanislaus in 1994 ( summa cum laude ), an M.A. in economics from UC Davis in 1996, and a Ph.D. in economics from UC Berkeley in 1999. His research focuses on environmental economics, industrial organization, and applied econometrics. He is a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research in the Productivity, Industrial Organization, and Energy and Environmental Economics groups.
Professor Knittel is an associate editor of the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy , the Journal of Industrial Economic s and Journal of Energy Markets. His research has appeared in the American Economic Review, the American Economic Journal, the Review of Economics and Statistics, the Journal of Industrial Economics, the Energy Journal and other academic journals.
Emre Gencer
Emre Gencer
Co-founder & CEO of Sesame Sustainability
Emre Gençer is the co-founder and CEO of Sesame Sustainability, an advanced software platform that provides comprehensive cost and sustainability assessments across the electric power, transportation, and industrial sectors. Sesame equips decision-makers with high-resolution, actionable insights, enhancing strategic planning and accelerating the implementation of decarbonization initiatives.
Before founding Sesame Sustainability, Emre served as a Principal Research Scientist at the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), where he led the Energy Systems Modeling Group. His research focused on optimizing energy technologies and integrating them into net-zero greenhouse gas systems, addressing both established and emerging challenges in the energy transition. Emre has authored influential research published in top-tier journals, including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Nature Scientific Reports. His work has been pivotal in shaping major studies such as the Energy Futures Initiative’s (EFI) U.S. Hydrogen Demand Action Plan and MITEI’s Mobility of the Future report. His innovative energy concepts have been widely recognized and featured by leading technology platforms.
An accomplished speaker, Emre has shared his expertise on global stages, including TEDxMIT, where he discussed redesigning energy systems for a sustainable future, and CERAWeek, where he engaged industry leaders on advancing clean energy transitions and the critical role of systems-level solutions in achieving net-zero goals.
Emre holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University and dual B.Sc. degrees in Chemical Engineering and Mathematics from Bogazici University in Istanbul. With a rare combination of entrepreneurial vision and research acumen, he continues to drive innovation and progress in the development of sustainable energy solutions.