CSU launching clean-energy effort
Program in line with Ritter's goal for state
By Judith Kohler, Associated Press
Saturday, March 22, 2008
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Colorado State University has launched a renewable energy "supercluster" that will focus on moving research and development into clean energy and energy efficiency from the lab to the marketplace.
CSU President Larry Penley, Gov. Bill Ritter, and Colorado Sens. Wayne Allard and Ken Salazar made the announcement this week at the state Capitol.
Ritter has made developing "a new energy economy" that emphasizes renewable energy and clean energy, such as coal plants that capture carbon dioxide emissions, a cornerstone of his administration.
"We see this moving the agenda full speed ahead," Ritter said during a news conference at the Capitol.
Last year, CSU unveiled plans for two superclusters in the research of cancer and infectious diseases and getting new medicines and technology to consumers faster.
The new energy program's business arm will be called Cenergy and will concentrate on getting new renewable energy technology to market, either through startup or existing companies.
"Universities must go beyond the creation of ideas and realize the potential that they have, to bring about market-based, enterprise solutions to one of our greatest challenges: global climate change," Penley said.
While dealing with climate change, countries also will struggle with rising demands for energy and plummeting supplies of oil and other fossil fuels, said CSU professor Bryan Willson, the new program's chief scientific officer. He said that U.S. energy demand will jump 25 percent over the next 25 years and higher in other countries.
"We believe that solutions are possible on a massive scale," Willson said.
More than 100 faculty members from departments in all the colleges at CSU will be involved in the energy supercluster. Research and development will be done in four areas: solar power, wind power, biofuels and energy efficiency, Willson said.
Willson is a co-founder of Envirofit International, which developed and has teamed up with companies to produce cleaner-burning two-stroke engines and cooking stoves in developing countries. He also helped found Solix Biofuels, which is working to commercialize technology to produce oil from algae.
The research and development for the ventures took place at CSU. The new energy supercluster will expand the work.
Allard said that the program is "one great step forward" to making Colorado a renewable energy capital. The Republican lawmaker, a veterinarian and CSU graduate, said it also builds on the partnerships among CSU, the University of Colorado, Colorado School of Mines and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Comments
Posted by SASQUATCH on March 23, 2008 at 8:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
NICE PR EFFORT FROM THE USUAL POLITICOS, but in reality its nothing more than a big ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!
Posted by windbourne on March 23, 2008 at 9:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Gee, hank/sasquatch. Where are your words about "look out the window, this flunks the look out the window test"? Or have you decided to bring your trite arguments to a new topic?
Ok, I am not that wild about ritter, BUT this is a step in the right direction. Why? Because we need to develop businesses here. CSU, CU, and mines have lots of bright ppl and we FUND THEM. So, lets make use of these resources. BTW, you think that this is a mistake? Well, nearly all major universities currently do this. They are looking at how to fund themselves during dry spells, such as we have had over the last 8 years. All that is needed, is that we prevent ppl who research ideas here from not taking it elsewhere. Far too many ideas have been taken out of the state to NY, CA, Tx, or even to other countries such as India and China.
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