This course will examine the legal, business, and policy dimensions of current efforts in the U.S. to promote the development and diffusion of green technologies. Drawing on recent legislative and policy developments at the state and national levels, the course will assess the merits of different policy instruments (e.g., market-based forms of regulation, renewable-energy portfolio standards, tax breaks, direct subsidies, prizes) as means of overcoming market barriers to green technologies. The viability of markets for green technologies and technological obstacles will also be evaluated. A series of technology-specific case studies will be discussed over the course of the semester, with technologies including energy efficient products, renewable sources of power, carbon capture and sequestration, and biofuels. In conjunction with each case study, outside speakers from around the University, as well as the legal and business communities in Texas, will discuss their research or work experience. Students will work in teams on projects that could range from evaluating the legal, business, and technological viability of a specific green technology to drafting or evaluating a specific policy or law.
Adelman, David E.