Last updated on: 5/1/2015 | Author: ProCon.org

Tad W. Patzek, PhD Biography

Title:
Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering in the Earth Sciences and Technology Division at the University of Texas at Austin
Position:
Con to the question "Can Alternative Energy Effectively Replace Fossil Fuels?"
Reasoning:

“We want to be very clear: solar cells, wind turbines, and biomass-for-energy plantations can never replace even a small fraction of the highly reliable, 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year, nuclear, fossil, and hydroelectric power stations. Claims to the contrary are popular, but irresponsible…

We live in a hydrocarbon-limited world, generate too much CO2, and major hydropower opportunities have been exhausted worldwide…”

Cowritten with D. Pimentel, “Thermodynamics of Energy Production from Biomass,” Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, Mar. 14, 2005
Theoretical Expertise Ranking:
    Experts
Individuals with PhDs, or equivalent advanced degrees in fields relevant to alternative energy or fossil fuel issues. Also top-level government officials (such as foreign leaders, US presidents, Founding Fathers, Supreme Court Justices, members of legislative bodies, cabinet members, military leaders, etc.) with positions relevant to alternative energy or fossil fuel issues.
Involvement and Affiliations:
  • Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering in the Earth Sciences and Technology Division, University of Texas at Austin, 2014-present
  • Director of the Upstream Petroleum Engineering Center, 2014-present
  • Associate Editor, Energy Tribune, 2006-present
  • Editor, Transport in Porous Media, 2005-present
  • Chairman of the Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Austin, 2008-2014
  • Professor of GeoEngineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, 2002-2014
  • Chariman, College Engineering Committee on Natural Resources, University of California at Berkeley, 1997-2006
  • Editor, Society of Petroleum Engineers Journal, 2000-2003
  • Associate Professor of GeoEngineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, 1995-2002
  • Assistant Professor of Petroleum Engineering, Department of Materials Science and Mineral Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, 1990-1995
  • Senior Reservoir Engineer, Shell, 1989-1990
  • Research Engineer, Enhanced Recovery Research Department, Shell Development, 1983-1989
  • Research Associate, Chemical Engineering Department, University of Minnesota, 1981-1983
  • Fulbright Fellow, University of Minnesota, Chemical Engineering Department, 1978-1979
  • Member, Society of Petroleum Engineers, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Geophysical Union, American Physical Society, and American Chemical Society
  • Research Associate, Chemical Engineering Research Center, Polish Academy of Sciences (Gliwice, Poland), 1974-1980
Education:
  • PhD, Chemical Engineering, Silesian Technical University (Poland), 1980
  • MS, Chemical Engineering, Silesian Technical University, 1974
Other:
  • Consultant and Expert Witness: Shell Oil Company, Chevron Oil Company, General Electric, and PG&E
Quoted in:
  1. Can Alternative Energy Effectively Replace Fossil Fuels?
  2. Does Ethanol Generate More Energy Than the Amount Needed to Produce It?