News Roundup
News Roundup for May 31
ENERGY SUMMIT
Steven Chu
Energy Secretary Steven Chu recently welcomed nearly 1,000 of America’s top energy researchers to Washington, D.C., for the inaugural Science for the Nation’s Energy Future: The Energy Frontier Research Centers Summit and Forum. The three-day conference highlighted early successes of DOE’s energy frontier research centers and convened scientists and energy policy leaders to explore the challenges and opportunities to help shape the nation’s clean energy future. “In just two years, these research centers have inspired a new generation of talented young Americans to dedicate their careers to meeting our nation’s energy challenges,” said Chu.
A SEAWORTHY CONCEPT
The area in and around the Salton Sea in California’s Imperial Valley could produce enough renewable energy to power 6.5 million homes, according to a study commissioned by the Salton Sea Authority. Geothermal and solar projects in the ailing sea could also generate more than $5.3 billion in revenue each year, the study found. Increasing salinity in the 376-square mile body of water, located near Death Valley, is slowly killing the sea and authorities are looking for ways to fund its restoration.
WIND INVESTMENT
Google Inc. and Citigroup Inc. will each invest $55 million in an inland California wind farm that they said will be the country’s largest by the end of the year. Located in the Mojave Desert, the Alta Wind Energy Center will ultimately have 1,550 megawatts of generating capacity, nearly double that of the largest currently operating U.S. wind farm. Terra-Gen Power, an affiliate of two energy investment firms, is developing the project. Google has invested more than $400 million in the clean-energy sector.
FREE AUDITS
Student chapters of the National Electrical Contractors Association across the country are now performing energy audits on selected campus buildings. Top students at engineering schools participate in the program, and students will present results at a conference in October. The top three finishers submit their plans to the main NECA office, where a group of industry professionals review them. At Oregon State University, for example, six students in the NECA chapter are doing an electrical audit of a residence hall.
—Based on news and wire reports
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