Materials For Energy

On-site energy generation leads to EPA recognition

(From Nobel Intent - Ars Technica)

Full Article

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published a list of what it considers some of the greenest organizations around. "Green" is an arbitrary metric but, for the purpose of this list and article, the greenest organizations are defined as those that use the most "on-site green power" in kilowatt-hours on an annual contract basis. While one can argue which power sources really are green, the list highlights biomass, biogas, hydroelectric, wind, and solar.

Eight of the top 20 organizations listed are civic municipalities, either US cities or counties. Geographically they range from San Diego, CA to Nassau County, NY. Of these eight municipalities, six are on the west coast (CA and OR), one in the Midwest and one on the East coast. 

The number one in terms of magnitude of on-site green energy production and use is a company, the Kimberly-Clark Corporation, which makes, among other things, Scott toilet tissues, Huggies diapers, and Kleenex tissues. Headquartered in Dallas, TX they use 192.7 million kWh of green energy derived from biomass each year.

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Dr. Gopal Rao
Web Science Editor
Materials Research Society (MRS)

Nobel winners call for energy R&D funding

 

Thirty-four Nobel Prize winners, including six prominent researchers who won the award for chemistry, are urging US President Obama to make good on his pledge to provide increased, stable funding for energy research and development. The renowned scientists are concerned that the climate change and energy legislation that is currently making its way through Congress would provide only a tiny fraction of the $150 billion (£91.3 billion) that Obama proposed to go to a so-called Clean Energy Technology Fund over ten years. 

In their 16 July letter to Obama, the Nobel laureates emphasize the importance of the President's proposed plan, to be funded by a greenhouse gas cap and trade program: 'the stable support this Fund would provide is essential to pay for the research and development needed if the US, as well as the developing world, are to achieve their goals in reducing greenhouse gases at an affordable cost.' They want him to argue his case to Congress.

More from Chemistry World ....

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Dr. Gopal Rao
Web Science Editor
Materials Research Society (MRS)

Energy: A Critical Mission for MRS

Dr. Todd Osman, Executive Director, MRS       

I was reading an interesting article recently in The Bent (Tau Beta Pi) entitled “The Emerging Alternate Energy Consensus”. The author, Alan S. Brown, concluded that “when people as different as Mr. (Al) Gore and Mr. (T. Boone) Pickens agree, a national consensus about alternative energy must be emerging.”

James Woolsey, former CIA director, feels the same way. Mr. Woolsey is currently on the lecture circuit speaking about energy. The central piece of his talk is a fictional discussion between a George Patton and John Muir. His supposition, similar to Mr. Brown’s, is that energy is the one topic that hawks (represented by General Patton and Mr. Pickens) and environmentalists (represented by Mr. Muir and Mr. Gore) can easily agree upon.

If a consensus on alternative energy is arising, it is imperative that politicians, writers and lecturers hear from the scientific community. During the recent congressional visits day in Washington D.C., we handed out the MRS Bulletin Special Energy Issue on Capitol Hill. At the same time, MRS, as part of the Task Force on the Future of American Innovation, co-sponsored a press briefing at the National Press Club entitled Basic Research: Fueling America’s Future. A primary goal of this effort was to educate the press on the issues. True to our Government Affairs Committee message, this event advocated for a coordinated investment in basic energy research (view webcast of the event).

While public outreach is an important activity for MRS, we first and foremost must also continue to promote scientific solutions for energy. I am proud to say that we are doing this, most notably at the 2008 MRS Fall Meeting. A potpourri of events ranging from high level overviews to basic technology tutorials to in-depth scientific seminars will provide a nice cross-section of materials for the new energy economy. Like the MRS Bulletin Energy special issue before it, the 2008 MRS Fall Meeting promises to be a great event, furthering our mission to advance interdisciplinary materials research to improve the global quality of life.