US energy secretary, Steven Chu, yesterday called on a Senate committee to authorise far greater levels of government support for energy research, arguing that the onus is on the federal government to help incubate cutting edge low carbon technologies before they become commercially viable.
Chu was testifying at a hearing held by the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to review the future direction of energy research and development. He argued there was an urgent need for greater funding, and a renewed focus on how to spend that money more wisely.
"Dan Kammen of U.C. Berkeley has conducted studies showing that while overall investment in research and development is roughly three per cent of gross domestic product on average, it is roughly one-tenth of that average in the energy sector," he complained.
Chu pointed to the recently-passed stimulus package as a means of helping to solve the problem, arguing that it had doubled funding for research into the basic sciences. He promised a more detailed Department of Energy budget in April, which would outline funding for different areas including developing scientific talent in energy research.
He also promised the inclusion of new graduate fellowship research programmes in the energy budget to help bolster the number of skilled professionals entering the sector.
Chu also called for greater government support for cutting edge " transformational" energy research, arguing there was a need for "game changing, rather than incremental" science.
"DOE must strive to be the modern version of the old Bell Labs in energy
research," he said, drawing parallels between the valve and the transistor in
electronics research. "Because the payoffs from research in transformational
technologies are both higher risk and longer term, government investment is
critical and appropriate."
He argued that the Government should be involved in developing certain areas of
low carbon technology to the point where the private sector can run with them.
These include the creation of fuel from non-food crops and bio-waste, automotive batteries with greater longevity, reducing the cost of photovoltaic by 80 per cent, and computer design tools to increase energy efficiency in buildings. Finally, the Government could help to develop energy storage technology that could turn renewable power sources into base load generators, he said.
Department of Energy and Department of Interior earmark billions in funding for clean energy projects 08 May 2009
Agencies release biofuel targets and unveil $1.8bn in funding designed to accelerate switch to second generation fuels 06 May 2009
President expected to announce up to $3.4bn in smart-grid grants as Department of Energy releases fresh climate science funding 27 Oct 2009
Department of Energy unveils $306m of funding for energy efficiency and heat pump projects 04 Jun 2009
Ambitious hydrogen and carbon capture clean coal project back on the cards after Obama administration announces over $1bn in new funding 16 Jun 2009
Resolution follows similar decision by Shell shareholders last month 09 Feb 2010
Measures needed to ensure cars do not charge from fossil fuel-powered grid 09 Feb 2010
Researchers use salicornia plants in carbon-negative process to grow biofuels 09 Feb 2010
More news
Friends of the Earth’s biofuels campaigner Kenneth Richter argues that biofuel targets are a distraction from tried-and-tested ways of reducing transport emissions 09 Feb 2010
Trewin Restorick wonders if the concept du jour of "nudging" behaviour change can help curb UK carbon emissions 08 Feb 2010
From feed in tariffs to vanishing top soil, we run down the top stories from the past week 08 Feb 2010 More in-depth
Post your comment
Send an email to the Business Green editor at feedback@businessgreen.com
