Speakers voice need for future alternative energy
Jessica Powviriya
Issue date: 4/22/09 Section: News
Sustainability has been a prominent point of discussion on the UA campus for the past couple of years. While the UA has taken action on many subjects to make the campus more eco-friendly, some still might wonder about what sustainability means.
Two leading researchers recently visited the UA's campus to discuss sustainability, specifically alternative fuel and energy options.
T. Boone Pickens, the geologist turned billionaire from building the largest independent oil company in the United States, was a recent lecturer for the Sam M. Walton College of Business.
He spoke on his Pickens Plan, the initiative to harness domestic energy alternatives. The plan will generate new jobs for the economy by building a "21st century backbone electrical grid" that runs on electricity from wind and solar capacity. The plan will ultimately use America's natural gas to replace imported oil as a transpiration fuel, according to the Pickens Plan Web site.
Carl Koval, faculty director of the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Initiative at the University of Colorado at Boulder, was a recent speaker at the UA for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the Fulbright College of Arts and Science to address the energy and climate challenge.
Koval spoke on what he called "the crisis," the track of the world doubling its consumption by 2050. During the same time, energy efficiency is supposed to double, as well, and Koval and the energy initiative are aimed at increasing the production of energy from renewable resources like wind energy, solar energy and biofuels, according to the Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory Web site.
Some students and alumni disagree with the sustainability practices that Pickens and Koval want.
"The problem is that Americans use too much power," said Stephen Baccus, a mechanical engineer and physics alumni. "Americans have no sense of personal responsibility. As long as people are under the impression that we will ever find a perfect energy source, America is going to be in trouble."
Two leading researchers recently visited the UA's campus to discuss sustainability, specifically alternative fuel and energy options.
T. Boone Pickens, the geologist turned billionaire from building the largest independent oil company in the United States, was a recent lecturer for the Sam M. Walton College of Business.
He spoke on his Pickens Plan, the initiative to harness domestic energy alternatives. The plan will generate new jobs for the economy by building a "21st century backbone electrical grid" that runs on electricity from wind and solar capacity. The plan will ultimately use America's natural gas to replace imported oil as a transpiration fuel, according to the Pickens Plan Web site.
Carl Koval, faculty director of the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Initiative at the University of Colorado at Boulder, was a recent speaker at the UA for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the Fulbright College of Arts and Science to address the energy and climate challenge.
Koval spoke on what he called "the crisis," the track of the world doubling its consumption by 2050. During the same time, energy efficiency is supposed to double, as well, and Koval and the energy initiative are aimed at increasing the production of energy from renewable resources like wind energy, solar energy and biofuels, according to the Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory Web site.
Some students and alumni disagree with the sustainability practices that Pickens and Koval want.
"The problem is that Americans use too much power," said Stephen Baccus, a mechanical engineer and physics alumni. "Americans have no sense of personal responsibility. As long as people are under the impression that we will ever find a perfect energy source, America is going to be in trouble."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Allison
posted 4/22/09 @ 8:02 AM CST
Overall your article is informative, but I find it disappointing that although you say, "Some still might wonder about what sustainability means," you do not attempt to define it. (Continued…)
Post a Comment