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Steven Chu: Probable Next Energy Secretary Big Efficiency Fan

    • At least Chu understands that technological "challenges" exist. Gore should come back to the Planet Earth where the rest of us live. Let's do the math. Ex-politician + movie star + Nobel prize winner + amateur scientist = total disaster.

    • The one good thing a deep recession is that it unwraps a lot indirect and round the bend policy thinking and tactics. Go ahead and be direct on govt. mandates to artificially raise energy prices at the meter and gas pump in the middle of a depression on consumers and businesses (job creators). Be direct and bold here....and horizontal six feet under, Jimmy Carter style.

    • I sincerely hope Dr. Chu is able to convey the urgency of energy conservation, and ties it directly to home energy costs. I believe we wouldn't be in such a dire energy situation if more people began conserving energy - starting at home. As the economy tailspins, it is more important than ever to preach smart energy usage, and smart home energy conservation. As I mention in my "Home Energy Audit Kit" available at homeowners need to look at their own energy usage and make the necessary adjustments - much in the same way this should be done on a national level.

    • It is good to hear Dr. Chu's views on energy efficiency, and I firmly believe innovation is necessary, and while there is something to be said for not conserving yourself out of the solution, a cornerstone of the solution must be energy efficiency. It is still the cheapest, least-cost solution, and is proven to save power plants from being constructed across the world. There are programs across the country that should be funded. Market transformation is critical.

    • Steven is a great thought leader and visionary extraordinaire.

      I congratulate President-elect Obama for making this choice.

      Shekhar Lodha

    • In a recent interview Mr. Chu appears to be as radical as Al Gore on the global warming myth. We cannot afford to chase the wind in the middle of a recession. Hopefully he will be open to look at the lack of evidence for global warming and not make it a priority at this time.

    • nice, really nice!

    • BACKGROUND---For the last 5 years or so I have been doing independent research on toxicity effects and methods of reducing those effects. Suggestions were submitted to DOE, who requested proposals, Since I had no personal laboratory, The request for proposal was taken to UWM University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Since at that Time I was at the Veterans Hospital in Milwaukee. The request for proposal was given to Dr. Liu, Head of Environmental Engineering, who assigned undergraduate John Meier to the study, which involved reduction of HG (mercury), various instrumentation used to measure mercury in the emission streams (electron microscopy) was a method being evaluated to replace the industry standard (ontario hydro method) because it was a more precise methodology to detect the magnitude of mercury species and trace amounts in the various coal species at the various process stages. A plan was made for a position to become available for John at We Energies after graduation, so we could begin to evaluate actual coalfired power plant, CFPP, emissions and technologies to reduce the toxicity. Some time after the studies were began, a Dr. Christianson intervened in the study. He is/was head of all engineering at UWM and was teaching a course on water treatment facilities, which is part of the environmental engineering graduate program. He had designed or was instrumental in designing Milwaukee's Deep Tunnel project for the city which was determined to be the ultimate answer to the problem of keeping sewage and runoff water separate from drinking water in the complex problem unique to milwaukee, His becoming Director of Engineering at UWM had something to do with the design, construction, and installation of the system (which failed) a year of abnormally high rainfall extended the actual capacities and other subsystems failed as well due to the massive debris encountered during the flooding, His Obsession with waste water treatment and its relation to the graduate program at UWM, was elevated when he was the instructor for John. He gave John His first ever " B " on the course, there was some personality conflict. He was instrumental in ending our study, and was able to get another student hired at We Energies, who was not involved in the study. John, in his last semester in his masters program, " Quit " and took a year off to refocus, He was not prepared for unethical decisions, and the placing of a middle aged foreign student who was not involved in the study of CFPP, to work at We Energies CFPP, instead of himself seemed to be a decision made without consideration of the plan, or access to the variables. I continued to study CFPP, John was contacted a year later by a swedish company the DOE had aligned with the CFPP utilities to install mercury control systems using calcium injection for mercury captivation. I decided to continue analysis of CFPP's and to not contact academia again. I did send a letter of complaint to DOE, but never received an answer. Given the overall complexity of the 1200+ of so really big CPFF's, none are quiet the same, since there are so many different burner companies, plus, coal like oil, the other major petrochemical, No two batches of coal are quiet the same, variances within coal seams themselves are significant. like oil wells. While oil has gone a different route, developing oil refineries, creating virtually an engineering speciality within the realm of chemical engineering (Distillation Engineering) so highly specialized that the industries themselves hold the keys to that castle, so complex the processes, ever-changing as scientific instrumentation advances. While the similarities of coal and oil are in name called petrochemicals, one being a liquid, more easily refined than coal, which is of course a solid. Personally my concept of both is in variance with most academic ventures who view them as nonrenewable resources. I believe they may both be renewable, if a time and chemical speciation study were ever actually conducted,( It would be a long study ) Decades and more. The element I believe to have evaded us at this point is the actual enzyme or microbial substances responsible for converting the underground strata into coal and oil. My only evidence of reasoning is based on the observations of Pumpers,and guys, who do the day to day work on the oil rigs, rod and tubing machines, and overseeing the day to day processes of measuring the outputs, replacing the worn out equipment, capping the underproducing wells, and shutting down the wells that are depleted of oil. It appears that wells, which were recorded to have run dry say 40 or 50 years ago, are producing again, while some wells have been producing minimal amounts, say a few barrels a month, for 50 years and more. I realize there are answers for each circumstantial element that can explain away the possibility of the presence of the unknown cause, and that an actual study of the site is almost impossible, and virtually without economical justification, given the current science beliefs in this realm. Further I am somewhat inclined to believe that by continuing to burn coal we are wasting a significant amount of the asset, and that we should be doing more to liquify, or evaluate it from the viewpoint of rapidly increasing distillation engineering technology, and am inclined to believe it may well be the gap that exists between academic ventures and the manufacturing facilities, and while the DOE has the responsibility for filling the gap, I believe there are too many irons in the fire to facilitate responsible change. The last element of study background is the most significant. I will sum it up by saying the CFPP are emitting enormous amounts of air volumes well above 350 degrees ( in the gas phase ) particle free, hundreds of feet into the next layer of atmosphere, where the emissions cool down, speciating into the particle phase, which mix with our hydrological structure, and are responsible for a significant portion of the denaturement of earth itself, so toxic are the particulate emissions, quantitively vast and understudied species of cardonbased sulphur and nitrate rich, involving virtually, almost every element that exists on the surface of the earth. Entire species have vanished, without ever having been known, The cost of human life due to related cardiopulmonary disease is enormous. Nature/denatured---Utility companies have been and continue to be the solid investment of our market driven economy, So Powerful are their lobbies they expose themselves to be the elitist members of our society, who act with impunity, control the clout in the courtrooms of our nation. The devastation to our environment runs parallel to the invisible loss in the real quality of life. We have abandoned nature and replaced it with fashion and law. These are harsh words, probably unnecessary, from my point of view, since I can honestly say that I would be no different than anyone I have ever know if I had lived their lives. This description of the background on which I base my proposal is intended to create an understanding of the importance of this issue, and that it transcends political responsibility. I see the great cloud of time consuming media settling upon this great country and it saddens me to understand people are all involved in so many things irrelevant to the devastation of nature and that artificial elements have come to rule their very lives, making them simply victims of injustice and indecision by others whom are themselves victims. It would appear no one is able to actually make positive change--------------------------------------------------------------------PROVE ME WRONG---------------------------Assign me (as a volunteer) to work with a willing plant manager, to create, design, and install a series of temperature reduction, particulate removal systems which would remove the vast amount of toxicity from CFPP in existence. ----------------I realize CO2 is a major concern, and would postpone a discussion regarding this portion of the study until the other particles are removed, and the temperature of emissions and their toxicity are vastly different than what now exists. I would sum it up by saying that releasing emissions near ground level would substantially lessen the CO2 current problem, the validity behind this statement is that below freezing temperatures, CO2 is heavier than ambient air, and would be released near to ground zero, instead of atmospheres higher where it gets into the major wind streams of the earth, unable, to settle into the earth, and react with fresh water and ocean currents. The reason I suggest the solutions involve the various plant engineers is several fold, One) Bureaucracy is uninvolved, yet kept aware. Two) Academic Ventures are initially uninvolved, for expediencies sake. Three) plant managers would ultimately be responsible for the ongoing systems, preventive maintenance, making sure no loss of production is significantly involved. Plus they are closer to the problem than any other expertise, and are capable themselves of problematic solutions better than anyone. To reach the level of understanding of CFPP sufficiently to be responsible for managing the plant, requires years of diligent work and dedication, absent, in all the other bureaucracies. I foresee solving the toxicity of these facilities far in advance of current plans and at a insignificant portion of the projected costs and timing delays, involving OEM companies for the engineering expertise is the various sub-sections of the reactor, and an earlier look into the liquification and distillation of oil and coal as well. if in fact such a change in utilization methodology is economically justified. My preliminary survey, which may well be relatively quick, would initially involve the preparation of an empirical matrix. The variables would be identified, put into actual perspective, sequenced and quantified as to value, until the m

    • I don't accept that Man Caused Global Warming is anything more than a farce. I has restricted the US from developing our own resources, and added new taxation . We are still buying foreign oil. California buys Coal generated electricity from out of state.

    • Great story as for me. I'd like to read a bit more about that topic. Thanx for sharing this material.


      Katty Smith


      Julia Simpson

    • Steven chu probable next energy secretary big efficiency fan.. Very nice :)

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