Biography
Daniel S. Cohan, Ph.D., is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University, where he teaches courses on atmospheric science, and energy and the environment. His research specializes in the development of photochemical models and their application to air quality management and the impacts of energy use on air quality and climate. He received a B.A. in applied mathematics from Harvard University, a Ph.D. in atmospheric chemistry from Georgia Institute of Technology, and served as a Fulbright Scholar to Australia. Cohan is a recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER award and a member of the NASA Air Quality Applied Sciences Team.
Contact at [email protected] or 713-348-5129.
Recent Publications
In Marketplace: Texas electric grid already strained by early summer temps
Texas energy demands may outstrip means this summer, though help might be found in green sources. “That extra solar supply, which, of course comes when it’s sunny and when our air conditioners are running most, that provided the difference last summer,” said Cohan.
Best Time to Conserve Energy in Texas? You’d be Surprised.
The power grid is most strained in the late afternoon on very hot days, notes Rice faculty scholar Daniel Cohan. As Texas now has so much solar power, conservation is most needed when the sun is setting — not high noon as you might think.
Gov. Abbott: ERCOT Power Grid Experiencing no ‘Issues or Disruptions’ Amid Record-Breaking Demand
Power grid demands over the summer have increased, but Texas has not increased the number of coal or nuclear plants in the state in the last 12 years. Economic growth is “pushing demand to all-time high records,” Rice faculty scholar Dan Cohan said.
External Publications
- “EPA Has Tightened Its Target for Deadly Particle Pollution − States Need More Tools to Reach It,” The Conversation, February 22, 2024.
- “Gov. Abbott’s Call for Winterization Misses the Breadth of Our Needs,” Houston Chronicle, February 28, 2021.
- “The Broader Vulnerabilities Revealed by the Texas Blackouts,” The Hill, February 26, 2021.
- “Texas Needed Power and Leadership. It Got Neither.” Austin American-Statesman, February 24, 2021.
- “Clean Energy Opportunities in a Time of Crisis,” The Hill, October 22, 2020.