My studies in Sustainability and Environmental Management at Harvard University have primarily focused on the state of the U.S. electric grid and the place of policy and regulation in enabling the continued and rapid introduction of energy generated by renewable sources onto the grid.  I am particularly interested in how batteries in plug-in hybrid vehicles may fulfill the need for energy storage fro both intermittant-source renewables as well as lower-cost, off-peak energy.  A battery-backed electrical grid will mean an overall reduction in electrical production as the peak-demand may be smoothed by available stored energy.  A reduction in the call for ancillary services from coal-fired power plants can result in less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and less ground-level pollution.