Carnegie Mellon University
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Edward S. Rubin

Edward S. Rubin

Alumni Chair Professor of Environmental Engineering and Science
Engineering & Public Policy and Mechanical Engineering

Address
Department of Engineering and Public Policy
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Bio

  • Carnegie Mellon 1969-
At Carnegie Mellon, Dr. Rubin was a founding member of the EPP department, and founding director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies and the Environmental Institute. He is a Fellow Member of ASME, recipient of the CMU Distinguished Professor of Engineering Award for outstanding achievements in engineering research, education and public service, and recipient of the AWMA Lyman A. Ripperton Award for distinguished achievements as an educator. He has served on advisory committees to various state and federal government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the State of California Energy Commission, Air Resources Board and Public Utility Commission. He is a National Associate member of the National Academies and serves regularly on its boards and study committees. Among his international activities he was a coordinating lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize), an advisor to the Alberta Energy Ministry of Canada, and is currently a Board member of the UK CCS Research Centre.   

Education

  • Ph.D. (Mechanical Engineering), Stanford University, 1969
  • M.S. (Mechanical Engineering), Stanford University, 1965
  • B.E. (Mechanical Engineering), City College of the City University of New York, 1964

Research

Professor Rubin's research focuses on technical, economic and policy issues related to energy and the environment. His group pioneered the development of the Integrated Environmental Control Model (IECM), a widely-used stochastic simulation model used worldwide for designing and evaluating cost-effective emission control systems for fossil-fuel power plants, including advanced process for carbon capture and storage (CCS).  Dr. Rubin also studies the nature and pace of technology innovation for energy and environmental systems and the factors that influence it, particularly the role of government policies. Insights from this work have been used to estimate future cost trends for advanced power systems, and the influence of technological change climate mitigation strategies. Additional research on renewable energy systems and other topics is being pursued in collaborations with the Carnegie Mellon Electricity Industry Center (CEIC), the Climate and Energy Decision Making (CEDM) Center, and the Scott Institute for Energy Innovation.

Publications

Dr. Rubin's full Publications webpage can be accessed here.
  • Rubin, E.S. et al., “The Outlook for Improved Carbon Capture Technology,”Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, 38; 630-371 (2012).
  • Yeh, S. and E.S. Rubin, “A Review of Uncertainties in Technology Experience Curves,” Energy Economics, 34(3):762–771 (2012).
  • Rubin, E.S. ,"Understanding the pitfalls of CCS cost estimates," International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 10:181-190 (2012).
  • Rubin, E.S. and H. Zhai, “The Cost of Carbon Capture and Storage for Natural Gas Combined Cycle Power Plants,” Environmental Science & Technology, 46: 3076–84 (2012).
  • Versteeg, P. and E.S. Rubin, “A Technical and Economic Assessment of Ammonia-Based Post-Combustion CO2 Capture at Coal-Fired Power Plants,”International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 5:1596–1605 (2011).
  • Mantripragada, H.C. and E.S. Rubin, “Techno-economic Evaluation of Coal-to-Liquids (CTL) Plants with Carbon Capture and Sequestration,” Energy Policy, 39: 2808–2816 (2011).
  • Zhai, H., E.S. Rubin and P.L. Versteeg, “Water Use at Pulverized Coal Power Plants with Post-Combustion Carbon Capture and Storage,” Environmental Science & Technology, 45: 2479–2485 (2011).