Register today for the third seminar of the ESE Fall 2026 Seminar Series: The Janak Raj Lectures. This seminar is available online only via Zoom. 

Presented by: John Bistline, Ph.D, Head of Science, Watershed

REGISTER HERE

TIME: 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM Eastern Time 
LOCATION - ZOOM MEETING link to be sent prior to the seminar date
CONTACT US: inesei@lehigh.edu  

ABSTRACT: Energy system models are how deep uncertainty about the energy transition is turned into decisions: which policies cut emissions, what they cost, who bears the burden, how the grid stays reliable and affordable along the way. This talk surveys what recent studies tell us about decarbonizing U.S. energy systems, then turns to the near-term shock of sustained electricity load growth from AI and data centers. As electricity has moved from the back office to the boardroom, I present two complementary lines of research. First, forward-looking modeling of decarbonization pathways shows the central role of clean electricity, end-use electrification, and strong regional differences that national scenarios can mask. Second, a causal analysis of a question correlation cannot answer: Has data center growth raised household electricity bills? Using an instrumental variables strategy built on the 1947 Interstate Highway Plan, we find that new load has modestly lowered residential rates and show how the same measurement discipline applies to quantifying AI emissions.

BIO:  Dr. John Bistline is Head of Science at Watershed, where he leads the analytics that shape how companies and governments measure and reduce emissions. His research uses large-scale models to inform corporate decarbonization, energy systems planning, and climate policy. His current work examines the energy and emissions impacts of AI and data center load growth, federal and state energy and environmental policy, power systems decarbonization, and net-zero emissions energy systems. Before joining Watershed, he led energy systems and climate analysis research at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). He is also a Research Affiliate at MIT and an Associate Editor of The Electricity Journal. Dr. Bistline is a contributing author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Seventh Assessment Report, and contributed to two U.S. National Climate Assessments and the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. His research has appeared in Science, Nature Energy, PNAS, and the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, and his analysis informed policy debates over the Inflation Reduction Act, EPA power plant rules, and state decarbonization policies.

Dr. Bistline earned a doctorate in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University.  Come join us for this seminar!