Welcome to Stanford's Understand Energy Learning Hub

We are excited to share the content of a wildly popular course taught at Stanford for over three decades. Our goal is to help you understand energy as a complex system with significant impacts on human development, the environment, the economy, equity and justice, and more. We invite you to explore our site and build your literacy around energy resources from fossil fuels like oil and coal to renewable resources like the wind, the sun, and efficiency; energy currencies like electricity and hydrogen; and energy services such as transportation and buildings.

Our Mission

We are committed to providing free energy education that will help you build your personal and professional capacity to address climate change and sustainability issues, engage on equity and human development challenges, participate in energy industry markets and technology innovation, and make informed energy decisions.

Your Guide to Understand Energy

If you’d like to keep track of your progress, use this checklist (PDF, 1MB).

Introduction to Energy

 

Why We Care About Energy

 

Energy Resources

Fossil Fuel Energy

 

 

 

Nuclear Energy

 

Renewable Energy

 

 

 

Energy Currencies

Energy Services

 

Tools to Manage & Sustain Energy Systems