Energy Innovation at Scale

The United States urgently needs a transformation of its energy supply both to address climate change and for reasons of energy security. To meet this immense challenge, the nation requires not just technological breakthroughs, but heavy lifting from big industry as well as government guidance, says Steven E. Koonin. In a mini-seminar covering the history and economics of energy supply and demand in the U.S., Koonin notes that the pace of change in information technology has set expectations around energy: “We get fooled about technological evolution because information technology evolved at a stunning rate over the last few decades But IT moves much faster than energy.” Koonin notes that while the demand side of the energy equation is subject to swift change — imposing tight energy standards on appliances and autos, for instance, can force rapid shifts in consumer behavior -- the supply side is another matter altogether. Barriers exist to the swift evolution of our energy supply: the large and complex scale of power sources; the ubiquity of energy, and competing interests of producers; the power of incumbents, which slows the market entry of new technologies; and the longevity of big energy facilities, which must be built to last decades. Cost emerges as a key factor: Nuclear power plants take billions to build. Generation costs alone for the nation’s 600 coal power plants and 1,653 natural gas plants come to $25 billion per year. Currently, only the for-profit sector can take on projects demanding such massive capital, says Koonin, and “the U.S. energy system is almost entirely in the(ir) hands.” He points out that the Department of Energy’s annual budget is $25 billion. Industry players pursue a single goal, under the watchful eye of government regulators. The mission is “not to deploy the most innovative technologies nor the greenest technologies, but to make money” in a predictable way. Koonin believes that “energy supply innovation will scal...

Channel: MIT World Video Length: 0s Date Found: Sat, Oct 16 2010 6:27 PM Category: Science Date Produced: Sat, Oct 16 2010 12:00 AM View Count: 1