U.S. President-elect Barack Obama selected laser expert and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu as his Secretary of Energy. Chu is director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and is scheduled to deliver a plenary at this year's inaugural OPTOmism conference in May.
Chu has sponsored research into biofuels and solar energy and has been a strong advocate of controlling greenhouse gas emissions. At OPTOmism, Chu will be speaking about technology, policy, and climate change. "The transition to sustainable energy systems is imperative," said Chu. "Photonics is one of the key technologies that we should embrace." OPTOmism will focus on photonic products for green technology and is being co-founded by the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association (OIDA) and Pennwell Corporation (Tulsa, OK). The event will be held in Santa Clara, CA, May 18-20, 2009 (see www.optomismshow.com).
The New York Times noted that collectively, Chu and other named environmental staff selections will have the task of carrying out Obama's stated intent to curb global warming emissions drastically while fashioning a more efficient national energy system. The article said the team will work with strong allies in Congress who are interested in developing climate-change legislation, despite fierce economic headwinds that will amplify objections from manufacturers and energy producers.
Chu will be taking on one of the most challenging jobs in government at the Department of Energy. He will be responsible for the maintenance and development of the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile, as well as for modernizing the nation's electrical power delivery system. He will also play a central role in directing the research and development of alternative energy sources needed to replace fossil fuels in an era of constrained carbon emissions.
Scott Segal, director of the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council, an industry group, said he was pleased that Chu had the technical expertise to realistically assess future energy technologies. "His experience seems to dovetail perfectly with the president-elect's commitment to bringing new energy technology to market in a timely fashion," Segal said. "An understanding of the art of the possible in energy technology will be critical to the development of a cost-effective climate change policy."
