Town Hall Briefs
S. Gaylen Bradley, Moderator
November Town Hall Topic:
Solar Energy
Upcoming Topics:
- New Frontiers in:
- Synthetic Biology
- Nanotechnology
- Neuroeconomics
- Commercialization Driving University Research
- Stimulating Innovation
- Enhancing Thinking Skills Pedagogy in Teacher Education
- Does Short Term Thinking Drive Out Long Term Thinking
- Climate Change Skeptics
- Devaluing & Developing Disciplines That Don’t Draw Big Grants
- Science PhDs As Social Entrepreneurs
- Best High School Teachers
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Mathematics
-
Physical Sciences
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Biosciences
-
Critical Thinking
- De Novo Redesign of the Public University
- Phasing out Fossil Carbon Energy
- When & How to Best Nurture Creativity
- Should International Scientists Be Rivals or Partners?
As Dr. Bradley posts new topics for discussion, engage with your peers by leaving comments below.
Solar Energy: From: GAYLEN BOND BRADLEY [mailto:sgb4@psu.edu]
A new world record for wind power generation was set in Colorado on October 6th when wind provided 55.6% of all power consumed from 4 to 5 in the morning. It broke the previous 53% record set in Spain in 2009. It is time to be serious about energy independence as a nation, about sustainable energy, and about reduction of carbon emissions.
Build bridges. Many areas of world need require our scientific community to work in concert with scientists & others in other nations to ensure beneficial results for all of us: clean water, insect borne diseases, environmentally benign nutritious food development, harvest and storage, clean energy, verifiably effective education for all and assuredly of women, new pathogens, protection of the fragile web of life on Earth, and many other areas.
The already fierce competition for top talent among nations is based on realignment of power underway globally. Asia, esp. India and China, builds many new research centers & universities. Each center & university provides funding, many jobs, expanding opportunities–the magnets for top talent. Scientist culture is international & collaborative–but the times are demanding competition and the national will to excel has arisen across the world
Should International Scientists Be Rivals or Partners?
Science is inherently international, and its participants cooperate by sharing information and sometimes by actual research collaboration. Those who apply science, individually, corporately or as governments more often compete for economic benefit, prestige and/or power. A well-funded International Science Foundation along the lines of the US NSF ought to be considered.
De Novo Redesign of the Public University
Both funding and mission of the public university system must be defined. Although distributed throughout the US, funding of the research intensive university (RIU) should be federal. Cost of education at the RIU should be ‘free.’ The RIU however is only one component of a complete public university system. The course of study of each student should be individually crafted to foster innovation.
If universities are to serve society by creating new knowledge, the best purpose for public universities is educating & graduating students who are capable, confident and well prepared for jobs that do not yet exist, for leadership of endeavors and enterprises that do not yet exist, who are practiced innovators creating employers that do not yet exist, practicing radical resource re-use as they face unprecedented natural resource constraints.
Phasing Out Fossil Carbon Energy
There are two components for achieving energy independence. One is through energy conservation and the other is by finding cost-effective alternative sources of energy. Conservation includes improved technology that reduces the loss of energy during transmission from site of generation to site of utilization. There are advocates for increased production and use of fossil fuel domestically and globally.
Scary that some Presidential candidates will not accept that there is a need or a problem.! Scientists should accordingly be aware of anti-science candidates!!!
We require action by each country that is a major user of fossil fuel. Many politicians do not see CC as a major issue. They are encouraged by emerging data that suggest that IPCC may have overestimated the projection of global warming and sea level rise. A big challenge is for us to provide credible and poersuasive evidence tailored to the audience that can do something:: our legislators..
We have 2 fossil fuel problems–CO2 emissions and soot, both of which alter solar reflectance and heat radiation . We have 2 alternatives with high energy output to environmental consequence –wind & solar. We have a false accounting system that only measures cost of production but doesn’t yet subtract environmental damage from its profit calculation. Therefore, add the externalities to the cost calculation and the alternative energy is cheaper
Solar and wind energy are the “talk of the town”, but they are intermitent and have low Energy ROI . Energy storage devices are needed that are capable of quick uptake and quick release, opposing requirements. Also the system would have to accommodate large quantities of energy. So wind/solar energy storage and low EROI indicate that NUCLEAR ENERGY must carry the base load to generate the electricity needed to drive a low (not no) carbon economy
Phasing Out Fossil Carbon Energy
This is a challenge that must be addressed at two levels. The goal must be approached globally in order to reduce ocean acidification and atmospheric greenhouse gases. At the national level, reducting dependence on fossil fuels can be linked to economic and security issues that are more likely to win support of the public and our governmental agencies. The best strategy is to find abundant afforable options.