Eric Hittinger Headshot

Eric Hittinger

Department Chair

Dean’s Office
College of Liberal Arts
Director, School of Public Affairs
eshgpt@rit.edu
Office Location
EAS-1305

Eric Hittinger

Department Chair

Dean’s Office
College of Liberal Arts
Director, School of Public Affairs

Education

BS, MS, Case Western Reserve University; Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University

Bio

Eric Hittinger holds a Ph.D. is in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University, and a MS in Macromolecular Science and BS in Polymer Science and Engineering from Case Western Reserve University.

Professor Hittinger has a background in electricity system policy, operation, and economics, with a focus on understanding the benefits and limitations of energy storage and renewable electricity sources. His research often uses techno-economic modeling of electricity systems to understand the effects of system policies and interactions.

Research Gate Profile

Google Scholar Profile

Current Research:

Dr. Hittinger is addressing longstanding challenges in both the economic and environmental feasibility of electricity production in the United States. With funding from the National Science Foundation, he and other RIT researchers are providing new avenues for policymakers to develop policies to promote the advancement of low-carbon energy technologies.

Dr. Hittinger is working to help policymakers deal with the uncertainty of political and economic change by altering the models currently used to understand the evolution of the electricity system. While most extant models employ fixed inputs to account for variables, such as the price of natural gas, Dr. Hittinger’s model utilizes a range possible inputs. By accounting for economic, political, and technological changes, Dr. Hittinger is creating a better approach for making decisions about how to support renewable energy development.

Courses:

Energy Policy, Policy Analysis, Decision Analysis, Climate Change

eshgpt@rit.edu
Personal Links
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Select Scholarship

Journal Paper
Hittinger, Eric Pareis, Eric. "Emissions effects of energy storage for frequency regulation: Comparing battery and flywheel storage to natural gas." Energies 14. 3 (2021): 549. Print.
Hittinger, Kanwal Shahid, Eric. "Techno-economic optimization of food waste diversion to treatment facilities to determine cost effectiveness of policy incentives." Journal of Cleaner Production 279. (2021): 122634. Print.
Elenes, Simon Sandler, Eric Williams, Eric Hittinger, Alejandro. "The nonlinear shift to renewable microgrids: Phase transitions in electricity systems." International Journal of Energy Research 45. 2 (2021): 3016-3030. Print.
Hittinger, Eric. "The Sound of a New Discipline Being Born: Macro-Energy Systems." Current Sustainable/Renewable Energy Reports 8. 1 (2021): 1-3. Print.
Azevedo, Naga Srujana Goteti, Eric Hittinger, Brian Sergi, Inês Lima. "How does new energy storage affect the operation and revenue of existing generation?" Applied Energy 285. (2021): 116383. Print.
Tibebu, Tiruwork B, et al. "What is the optimal subsidy for residential solar?" Energy Policy 155. (2021): 112326. Print.
Hittinger, Brian Tarroja, Eric. "The value of consumer acceptance of controlled electric vehicle charging in a decarbonizing grid: The case of California." Energy 229. (2021): 120691. Print.
Williams, Rexon Carvalho, Eric Hittinger, Eric. "Payback of natural gas turbines: A retrospective analysis with implications for decarbonizing grids." Utilities Policy 73. (2021): 101307. Print.
Sirbu, Anatole Desreveaux, Alain Bouscayrol, Elodie Castex, Rochdi Trigui, Eric Hittinger, Gabriel-Mihai. "Annual variation in energy consumption of an electric vehicle used for commuting." Energies 13. 18 (2020): 4639. Print.
Ronnenberg, Eric Williams, Rexon Carvalho, Eric Hittinger, Matthew. "Empirical development of parsimonious model for international diffusion of residential solar." Renewable Energy 150. (2020): 570-577. Print.
Williams, Saptarshi Das, Eric Hittinger, Eric. "Learning is not enough: Diminishing marginal revenues and increasing abatement costs of wind and solar." Renewable Energy 156. (2020): 634-644. Print.
Ciez, Eric Hittinger, Rebecca E. "Modeling costs and benefits of energy storage systems." Annual Review of Environment and Resources 45. (2020): 445-469. Print.
Sirbu, Anatole Desreveaux, Eric Hittinger, Alain Bouscayrol, Elodie Castex, Gabriel Mihai. "Techno-economic comparison of total cost of ownership of electric and diesel vehicles." IEEE Access 8. (2020): 195752-195762. Web.
Chen, Ashok Sekar, Eric Williams, Eric Hittinger, Roger. "How behavioral and geographic heterogeneity affects economic and environmental benefits of efficient appliances." Energy Policy 125. (2019): 537-547. Print.
Hittinger, Courtney N Smith, Eric. "Using marginal emission factors to improve estimates of emission benefits from appliance efficiency upgrades." Energy Efficiency 12. 3 (2019): 585-600. Print.
Jaramillo, Eric Hittinger, Paulina. "Internet of Things: Energy boon or bane?" Science 364. 6438 (2019): 326-328. Print.
Williams, Naga Srujana Goteti, Eric Hittinger, Eric. "How much wind and solar are needed to realize emissions benefits from storage?" Energy Systems 10. 2 (2019): 437-459. Print.
Williams, Ranjit R Desai, Roger B Chen, Eric Hittinger, Eric. "Heterogeneity in economic and carbon benefits of electric technology vehicles in the US." Environmental science & technology 54. 2 (2019): 1136-1146. Print.
McConky, B Amoroso, E Hittinger, K. "Keeping your cool–A multi-stakeholder look at AC sizing." Building and Environment 131. (2018): 306-329. Print.
Hittinger, Jawad Siddiqui, Eric. "Forecasting price parity for stand-alone hybrid solar microgrids: an international comparison." Energy Systems 9. 4 (2018): 953-979. Print.
Hittinger, Eric. "Distributed generation: Residential storage comes at a cost." Nature Energy 2. 2 (2017): 1-2. Web.
Hittinger, Matthew J Hoffman, Eric. "Inventory and transport of plastic debris in the Laurentian Great Lakes." Marine pollution bulletin 115. 1-2 (2017): 273-281. Web.
Siddiqui, Eric Hittinger, Jawad. "The challenging economics of US residential grid defection." Utilities Policy 45. (2017): 27-35. Print.
Williams, Eric Williams, Eric Hittinger, Rexon Carvalho, Ryan. "Wind power costs expected to decrease due to technological progress." Energy Policy 106. (2017): 427-435. Print.
Azevedo, Eric Hittinger, Inês ML. "Estimating the quantity of wind and solar required to displace storage-induced emissions." Environmental Science & Technology 51. 21 (2017): 12988-12997. Print.
Hittinger, Laura M Arciniegas, Eric. "Tradeoffs between revenue and emissions in energy storage operation." Energy 143. (2017): 1-11. Print.
Hittinger, Nathaniel Heck, Courtney Smith, Eric. "A Monte Carlo approach to integrating uncertainty into the levelized cost of electricity." The Electricity Journal 29. 3 (2016): 21-30. Web.
Hittinger, Eric and Roger Lueken. "Is Inexpensive Natural Gas Hindering the Grid Energy Storage Industry?" Energy Policy. 87 (2015): 140-152. Print.
Hittinger, Eric S. and Iníªs M. L. Azevedo. "Bulk Energy Storage Increases US Electricity System Emissions." Environmental Science and Technology 49. 5 (2015): 3203-3210. Print.
Hittinger, Eric, et al. "Evaluating the Value of Batteries in Microgrid Electricity Systems Using an Improved Energy Systems Model." Energy Conversion and Management. 89 (2015): 458-472. Print.
Hittinger, E., et al. "Profitability of CCS with Flue Gas Bypass and Solvent Storage." International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control 27. (2014): 279-288. Print.
Book Chapter
Wiser, Martin Junginger, Eric Hittinger, Eric Williams, Ryan. "Onshore wind energy." Technological learning in the transition to a low-carbon energy system. Europe, US: Academic Press, 2020. 87-102. Print.

Currently Teaching

ENVS-531
Climate Change: Science Technology & Policy
3 Credits
This multidisciplinary course will provide students with diverse perspectives on global climate change issues, providing a survey of important aspects of the problem. Topics include atmospheric chemistry, climate modeling, ecological impacts and feedbacks, economics of climate change, international climate policies, and social and environmental justice. The course will include a variety of instructors and guest lecturers, providing an overview of the complex and inter-related nature of global climate change.
ENVS-631
Climate Change: Science Technology & Policy
3 Credits
This multidisciplinary course will provide students with diverse perspectives on global climate change issues, providing a survey of important aspects of the problem augmented by readings in the primary literature. Topics include atmospheric chemistry, climate modeling, ecological impacts and feedbacks, economics of climate change, international climate policies, and social and environmental justice. The course will include a variety of instructors and guest lecturers, providing an overview of the complex and inter-related nature of global climate change. The course will culminate in a project based on finding solutions to the real-world problem of climate change. Students will be required to take a leadership role in bridging the multiple disciplines presented
ISUS-790
Thesis
1-6 Credits
Independent research in sustainability leading to the completion of the MS thesis. This course requires a formal proposal and a faculty sponsor.
ISUS-890
Dissertation Research
1-9 Credits
Research fulfillment of Sustainability Ph.D. dissertation requirements.
PUBL-531
Climate Change: Science, Technology and Policy
3 Credits
This multidisciplinary course will provide students with diverse perspectives on global climate change issues, providing a survey of important aspects of the problem. Topics include atmospheric chemistry, climate modeling, ecological impacts and feedbacks, economics of climate change, international climate policies, and social and environmental justice. The course will include a variety of instructors and guest lecturers, providing an overview of the complex and inter-related nature of global climate change.
PUBL-631
Climate Change: Science, Technology and Policy
3 Credits
This multidisciplinary course will provide students with diverse perspectives on global climate change issues, providing a survey of important aspects of the problem augmented by readings in the primary literature. Topics include atmospheric chemistry, climate modeling, ecological impacts and feedbacks, economics of climate change, international climate policies, and social and environmental justice. The course will include a variety of instructors and guest lecturers, providing an overview of the complex and interrelated nature of global climate change. The course will culminate in a project based on finding solutions to the real-world problem of climate change. Students will be required to take a leadership role in bridging the multiple disciplines presented.
PUBL-702
Graduate Decision Analysis
3 Credits
This course provides students with an introduction to decision science and analysis. The course focuses on several important tools for making good decisions, including decision trees, including forecasting, risk analysis, and multi-attribute decision making. Students will apply these tools to contemporary public policy decision making at the local, state, federal, and international levels.
PUBL-810
Technology, Policy and Sustainability
3 Credits
This course introduces students to public policy and its role in building a sustainable society. The course places particular emphasis on the policy process; the relationship among technology, policy, and the environment; and policy mechanisms for addressing market and government failures that threaten sustainability.

In the News

  • June 10, 2026

    a woman in a white tshirt holds an E V charger next to a white car in a home driveway

    In this house, an EV helps power appliances — and the grid

    Canary Media highlights research by Eric Hittinger, chair of the Department of Public Policy, showing that vehicle-to-grid technology could provide significant value to electric vehicle owners and the power grid by allowing EV batteries to store and return electricity when needed.

  • May 11, 2026

    a satellite view of the united states showing power grids highlighted by yellow lights

    What Will It Take to Modernize the US Power Grid?

    Gizmodo features insights from Eric Hittinger, chair of the Department of Public Policy, on the challenges of modernizing the U.S. power grid, including rising electricity demand, AI-driven energy use, and the costs of upgrading aging infrastructure.

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