Explore Energy House
Explore Energy House provides an integrated learning and living environment in a culture that values intellectual curiosity, new ideas and innovation, personal and social responsibility, mutual aid among residents, and spirited participation in fun experiences.
Explore Energy House is Stanford's first STEM-based theme house. It is a vibrant inclusive residential community that expands energy and sustainability education through interdisciplinary dialogue, exploration, and action. Our home is a place where residents from around the world who are passionate about making a difference can connect and explore together from a lively basecamp.
Visit a year in pictures with this Overview of Explore Energy House.
More than 20 countries on 5 continents are represented by residents in Explore Energy House – and our multicultural community supports interests in climate justice, taking solutions to scale, and an international view of the imperatives and opportunities surrounding the clean energy transition.
Through the weekly Explore Energy Seminar facilitated by the house Resident Fellow, Dr. Holmes Hummel, participants have a chance to explore opportunities through more than two dozen co-host partners. Surf the syllabus — it’s open to residents and non-residents alike!
Residents at Explore Energy House are the first to know about sustainability and energy opportunities in technology, policy, business and more; and they also have priority access among students for invitation-only events that range from large conferences, to exclusive field trips, to small VIP dinners.
Explore Energy House, based in Potter at Sterling Quad, is a four-class house open to any undergraduate student, regardless of major, who has a strong commitment to actively exploring any aspect of the energy field, including but not limited to technology, finance, history, social science, equity and justice, and art.
Potter is located on the beautiful western edge of campus, steps away from the Educational Farm, tennis courts, Solar Car workshop, and close to the Science & Engineering Quad. Our home is surrounded by open space, and Lake Lagunita is just across the lawn with a view across the foothills. One block down the road you'll find Arrillaga Outdoor Education and Recreation Center (AOERC), home to the recreational swimming pool, climbing gym, indoor basketball courts, a weight room and fitness center, and outdoor center for gear to go camping, skiing, boating, and surfing. This place is fun!
It is not expected that residents arrive with domain knowledge, but rather that they have a shared desire to engage each other as we explore a wide range of energy ecosystems. Explore Energy House hosts exceptional field trips, events, alumni seminars, student-initiated and led workshops, and more.
At Explore Energy House, we value curiosity, joy, hope, exploration, and inclusion. Our home celebrates residents who are invested in relationship and community building and creating a place of encouragement and belonging.
Explore Energy House is associated with the Explore Energy program based in the Precourt Institute for Energy, and it enables residents to draw on diverse resources as they explore a vast realm of energy topics through learning opportunities across campus — including the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.