U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman visited North Carolina State University recently to see several examples of the university's broad-based approach to energy research.(View photo gallery)
In addition to touring energy research labs, Bodman made a presentation on energy programs and policy and participated in an energy roundtable with leaders from state government and the energy industry.
Bodman visited an experimental solar power generation station, the second largest solar power generation installation in the state and a unique public-private partnership that will serve as a working model for future partnerships to co-develop renewable energy projects in North Carolina and the Southeast.
The secretary also saw NC State's nuclear reactor, the first university-run reactor in the nation. With 1.0 megawatts of power, the PULSTAR reactor also is the only university-based large reactor in the southeast.
At the Solid State Power Electronics Center, the secretary saw solid-state power electronics systems being developed to control the transmission and distribution of electricity. The Bonneville Power Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority, Sandia National Lab and others participate in the project.
At the Forest Biotechnology lab, breakthroughs in decreasing the lignin content of the fast-growing southern pine tree will help to decrease the cost of producing energy from trees grown specifically for ethanol production.
Bodman's visit coincides with the university's heightened focus on energy research and energy-related activities. In his State of NC State speech on Sept. 27, Chancellor James Oblinger announced that the university had created an energy council to create an energy agenda for the campus and that additional activities would include scholarships, undergraduate research, additional partnerships and an Emerging Issues Forum on energy policy.
NC State University News Services (919) 515-3470 or newstips@ncsu.edu