Session Abstracts:

	- Speaker's PowerPoint presentation available (click to view presentation in Adobe Acrobat)
	PRESENTATION SPEAKERS:
	"Advanced Catalyst Technologies to Meet The World’s Energy Challenges" Geoffrey Woolery - ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company
	"Balancing Environmental, Security & Economic Objectives in the Design of Future Energy Systems" John Weyant - Stanford University
	"Biomass-derived Fuels" Brent Shanks - Iowa State University
	"Clean Coal Technologies with Carbon Capture and Sequestration" Edward Levy - Lehigh Univeristy
	"DOE’s Research Program for Conversion of Coal to Hydrogen and Liquid Fuels" Daniel Driscoll - U.S. Department of Energy
	"Economics of Future Power Generation Options, The" William Hecht - PPL Corporation, Retired
	"Energy for Sustainability" Trung Nguyen - National Science Foundation (NSF)
	"Energy Use in Buildings" Bruce Wilson - Lehigh Valley Green Builders Forum
	"Environmental Impacts of Global Economic Development" Dork Sahagian - Lehigh University
	"Fuel Economy and Energy Diversity" Charles Klein - General Motors Corporation
	"Going Green – Can We Turn the Policy Push into Consumer Pull?" Ann Murtlow - Indianapolis Power & Light Company
	"How Big Energy Efficiency? Exploring Further Possibilities" John Laitner - American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)
	"Infrastructure Challenges to the Hydrogen Economy" Bruce Snyder - Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
	"Magnetic Fusion Energy Research" Arnold Kritz - Lehigh University
	"Molecular Level Understanding of Interfacial Phenomenon in PEMFCs" Sanjeev Mukerjee - Northeastern University
	"Reducing Pennsylvania’s Carbon Footprint" Kathleen McGinty - PA Department of Environmental Protection
	"Research Needs in Materials for Energy Applications" John DuPont - Lehigh University
	"Science and Technology of Next Generation Photovoltaics" Eric Clark - NASA Glenn Research Center
	"U.S. Energy Needs and the Role of Technology in a Carbon-constrained World" Benjamin Yamagata - Coal Utilization Research Council
	"U.S., Saudi Arabia, and Energy Security, The" Henri Barkey - Lehigh University
	"Useful Energy - Designing Energy Institutions For Value, Equity, Independence and Environmental Protection" Albert Wurth - Lehigh University

"Balancing Environmental,
     Security & Economic Objectives in the Design of Future Energy Systems"
John Weyant - Stanford University

Over the next century fundamental changes in the energy system may be required to reach a near-zero carbon energy system and a much lower level of oil imports. Since the energy systems required to achieve these objectives are so fundamentally different than the one we have today, we need to make decisions soon about requisite R&D and put policies in place to facilitate the transition from today’s energy system to lower carbon and lower oil dependence systems in the future.

Modeling and analysis have a role to play in helping us make these decisions and formulate appropriate policies. However, existing modeling and analysis systems may be inadequate for this task. The nature of the changes required depends on the magnitude and patterns of demands made on the energy system, the characteristics of future technologies available, primary resources available, and future events that are outside of our control.

Existing analytic tools do not adequately represent the possible role future energy technologies could play or what it would take to bring them to market. Nor do they generally consider the functioning of new energy technologies within an integrated system, or represent possible evolutions of energy end-use technologies and behaviors. Moreover, most of the existing energy policy models are too large and unwieldy for the types of uncertainty analyses needed for this type of energy R&D evaluation. We need tools that can help us make the decisions we need to make over the next couple of decades despite the many complexities and pervasive uncertainties that must be confronted. Criteria for such tools and a description of some early prototypes are the focus of this talk.

"Biomass-derived Fuels"
Brent Shanks - Iowa State University

The biofuels that are currently produced in the U.S. come almost exclusively from plant seeds, since they represent higher energy density forms of plant matter. The issues associated with using these feedstocks will first be briefly discussed to set the current state of the biofuels industry. However, the current technological approaches for producing biofuels cannot lead to significant displacement of crude oil-derived transportation fuels. Biomass, generally in the form of lignocellulose, will ultimately be required as a feedstock to make biofuels a significant contributor to the transportation fuel industrial sector. Discussed will be an overview of the strategies that are being considered for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fuels. These strategies include biological routes as well as thermochemical routes. Some pros and cons of each conversion approach will be discussed.

"Clean Coal Technologies with Carbon Capture and Sequestration"
Edward Levy - Lehigh Univeristy

More than 50 percent of the electricity generated in the U.S. comes from coal-fired power plants. Coal is inexpensive, abundant (an estimated 250 year U.S. supply) and will be needed to help meet projected long term growth in U.S. electricity demand. This presentation discusses technologies under development to reduce CO2 emissions from coal fired power plants. Referred to as carbon capture and sequestration, these include oxy-combustion, post combustion capture of CO2, and coal gasification with a combined cycle power plant and capture of CO2 prior to combustion of the fuel gas. All three of these approaches would be combined with sequestration of CO2 in geologic formations. A fourth approach, which involves modifications to power plant design and operations to improve generation efficiency, is also viewed as a necessary part of the process of achieving reduced carbon footprints of coal-fired power plants.

The presentation outlines research needs in these areas, discusses the science and engineering disciplines which will be needed to carry out the research and gives examples of clean coal-related research being done at Lehigh.

"DOE’s Research Program for Conversion of Coal to Hydrogen and Liquid Fuels"
Daniel Driscoll - U.S. Department of Energy

The Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is responsible for directing and managing all of the nation’s coal based research, development and demonstration activities. The primary use of coal is for the production of electricity; however, with rising oil prices and the abundance of domestic coal supplies, there is a renewed interest in converting coal to liquid fuels and hydrogen. NETL has maintained an active R&D program to develop new and improved technologies to effectively convert coal to alternative energy sources in an environmentally friendly manner. This presentation will provide an overview of NETL’s coal conversion R&D program and describe the key technologies that are currently under development. In addition, the presentation will describe the future directions for the Hydrogen and Syngas Program and the potential for collaborative research with the U.S. Department of Energy.

"Economics of Future Power Generation Options, The"
William Hecht - PPL Corporation, Retired

New developments in technology, direct and indirect environmental effects, political influences and limitations, social issues, and (especially) economics all will continue to play a role in determining the mix of new generation that may be constructed in future decades. Bill Hecht will offer some thoughts on how economics may provide a common denominator in shaping new generation decisions. His talk will particularly offer some observations on how electric industry structure – economic regulation versus competitive markets – varies from state to state in the U.S., and how this might affect future generation decisions.

"Energy for Sustainability"
Trung Nguyen - National Science Foundation (NSF)

The Energy for Sustainability Program is one of seventeen programs in the Division of Chemical, Biotechnology, Environmental and Transport (CBET) Systems of the Directorate for Engineering (ENG) in the National Science Foundation. This program is one of four programs in the Environmental Engineering and Sustainability Cluster. It is the newest program in the CBET Division, created in 2006, with the mission of funding long-term, basic and fundamental research and education that will have major impacts on the generation, conversion and storage of environmentally friendly and renewable energy. Additional program background information along with areas of interest and examples of recent awards will be presented.

"Energy Use in Buildings"
Bruce Wilson - Lehigh Valley Green Builders Forum

The average LEED®™ Gold building only costs 1.6% more than building to code and costs 40-60% less to operate. The synchronicities of integrated design will be discussed since these green buildings are the result of a truly integrated design build team.

Super insulated homes built from 1977 – 1988 use 1/12 as much energy as the average home built today. The reasons for the energy inefficiency of today’s homes will be discussed as well as efforts to improve that efficiency.

Energy improvements to existing buildings will also be discussed, including the use of the 2005 Energy Incentives as a tool for development and reduction of the buildings’ carbon footprint.

The measurement for R value will be discussed. R value does not reflect performance in actual conditions. We will discuss how to define R to be more representative of actual conditions.

"Environmental Impacts of Global Economic Development"
Dork Sahagian - Lehigh University

Economic activity is closely linked to energy utilization. Since the industrial Revolution, fossil energy has been exploited at unprecedented rates. The resulting economic security and lifestyle has led other societies to rapidly follow suit. It is often assumed that “everyone wants to live like Americans” – what would the world look like if everyone did?

The primary long-term impact of fossil-fuel based development has been the alteration of atmospheric chemistry, and thus the radiative balance of the planet; this has already occurred with only a small fraction of the world’s population “living like Americans.” If the rest of the world followed suit, the resulting release of greenhouse gases would vastly exceed even the most dire scenarios of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

If devastating global climate change is to be avoided, the industrialized world might consider helping the developing world leapfrog past fossil fuel-intensive economies toward social systems that expend less energy than Europe and America in their early industrial stages. To lead the way, industrialized countries would need to undergo a structural reorganization that uses less energy while continuing to enable economic expansion.

This would represent a portable infrastructure from which the developing world would benefit, and could, in fact, hasten its ability to raise standards of living. It is clear that “sustainable development” will not involve building new fossil fuel-intensive economies. A future “silver bullet” energy source may provide for current energy-intensive systems, but a vast number of people in the developing world are seeking to raise standards of living.

Research toward a more efficient infrastructure may be more prudent. It remains a topic for considerable research and exploration through interdisciplinary studies that take into account not only the physical realities of energy production and utilization, but also the social momentum in the various societies that would need to adjust their means of achieving a wide range of goals such as provision of food, transportation, education, entertainment, and the work environment.

"Fuel Economy and Energy Diversity"
Charles Klein - General Motors Corporation

The presentation outlines key elements of the Fuel Economy and Energy Diversity initiatives at General Motors. It reviews important and ongoing progress in the area of energy as it relates to vehicles and conventional powertrains as well as the move toward advanced hybrid applications. The presentation will also highlight the diversity which is developing within alternative energy sources and how it aligns with current and future technology applications.

"Going Green – Can We Turn the Policy Push into Consumer Pull?"
Ann Murtlow - Indianapolis Power & Light Company

Intense media and political attention on the issue of global climate change has resulted in a public tipping point that has made the regulation of greenhouse gases in the U.S. a near certainty. In addition, surveys indicate that while the majority of Americans now believe there is conclusive evidence that the earth is warming, there remains a division on the cause (whether it is the result of human activities or some natural cycle of the earth). The surveys also show the majority indicate a willingness to take action to reduce their personal carbon footprint.

The framework of legislation, cost of compliance, and receptiveness of the customer will all determine how effective attempts to reduce greenhouse gases will be in the future. As the trusted provider of electric service, electric (and gas) utilities are in a unique position to provide customer programs that make participation convenient and attractive and to educate their customers on actions that are both cost effective and environmentally efficient. They are also in a unique position to shape the policy debate by helping legislators understand the challenges to this reality and proposing solutions.

"How Big Energy Efficiency? Exploring Further Possibilities"
John Laitner - American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)

A new dissertation by Holmes Hummel (Stanford University) suggests the many energy future and energy policy scenarios “highlight an implausibly high pressure on energy supply innovations while the potential for energy efficiency improvements is systematically underestimated.” The overwhelming evidence suggests that this is a more than fair assessment. Moreover, a forthcoming study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE, November 2007) suggests that investments in energy-efficient technologies may already be twice as large as normal energy supply – with a clear opportunity to expand the potential in significant ways.

Yet, our policy tools and economic modeling assessments
appear to understate the potential contributions of the energy efficiency resource as it might reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sustain our nation’s economic prosperity. This seems to be true whether we are examining either the supply or the demand side of the equation. American economist Kenneth Boulding once commented, “Images of the future are critical to choice-oriented behavior.” Drawing from the visionary 1959 talk of Nobel Laureate and Cal Tech physicist Richard Feynman, this presentation will highlight the potential for new efficiencies to meet the energy security and the climate change mitigation challenges – all at a reasonable cost, and perhaps at a net benefit to the economy.

"Infrastructure Challenges to the Hydrogen Economy"
Bruce Snyder - Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Traditional energy sources for the transportation sector continue to be depleted, causing concern for the future energy supply of the United States. To provide additional short-term sources of fuels, energy providers are utilizing a variety of fuel blends such as the addition of ethanol to gasoline and biodiesel to diesel fuel. Over the long term, the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle represents the most efficient and environmental solution. Ultimately, hydrogen from renewable sources such as biomass, solar energy, and wind can maximize these gains while providing a pathway to a sustainable, independent energy supply. Regardless of the source of hydrogen, a new fuel delivery infrastructure will be required to bring it to market.

"Magnetic Fusion Energy Research"
Arnold Kritz - Lehigh University

Fusion -- which produces heat and light from the sun -- has the potential to provide a clean and virtually unlimited source of energy if harnessed on earth.

The ITER international experiment, designed to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy, is an important step toward this goal. Ultimately, the success of the ITER project will rely on advances in computer modeling and simulation. Comprehensive modeling tools are needed for integrated self-consistent simulations in order to predict and control the evolution of ITER’s hot plasma. Well-validated integrated computer simulations provide a way to embody the experimental and theoretical knowledge of fusion plasmas. The development of computer simulations that span the huge range of spatial and temporal scales that play a role in burning plasma experiments is a grand challenge in physics. Significant advances have been made recently as a result of the DoE “Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing” fusion simulation projects.

Lehigh University researchers in the Physics and the Mechanical Engineering departments contribute significantly to the simulation capability needed to predict and control the complex properties of high temperature plasmas in magnetic fusion devices on all relevant time and space scales. Members of Lehigh’s Fusion Research Group collaborate with scientists around the world to develop integrated simulation and control codes that are carefully validated against experimental data. These computer codes are then used to address the critical physics issues that must be solved in order to achieve practical fusion energy production. Lehigh fusion researchers participate in a scientific development and focused research efforts unprecedented in size and scope in U.S. fusion theory, and in supportive computational science and applied mathematics research programs.

"Molecular Level Under- standing of Interfacial Phenomenon in PEMFCs"
Sanjeev Mukerjee - Northeastern University

This presentation will provide an introduction to materials considerations as it pertains to design of electrocatalysts for Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells (PEMFCs). New insights on structure property correlation for electrocatalysts and their interactions with the solid polymer electrolyte will be presented in the context of the unique environment afforded by these nano-phase composite structures.

The relatively high overpotential for cathodic oxygen reduction will be discussed in terms of interplay of molecular oxygen adsorption and water activation pathways on Pt and Pt alloys as well as the more complex reaction environment in chalcogenides and enzymatic mimics. Some new insight on the effect of electrocatalyst morphology and kinetics of direct methanol oxidation will be presented, together with the effect of Ru dissolution and migration. In these systems, the role of the reaction center will be presented in light of new data from synchrotron based in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements which are more specifically tailored towards elucidation of surface adsorption modes. This new methodology referred to as the Delta µ-Technique uses recently developed code (FEFF-8) to simulate multi-electron scattering from XAS to simulate the near edge part of the spectra called x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES). This, in conjunction with the extended part of the spectra, referred to as extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) is used to generate a complete map of the electronic and structural changes on the transition metal reaction center as a function of reactant composition, interfacial water activity as well as electrode potentials. A combination of theory and experiment will show specific pathways for electrocatalysis as a function of overpotential. Besides this, free radical initiated chemical attack at the electrocatalyst-electrode interface will also be shown, wherein the degradation mode of the surrounding ionomer will be discussed in the context of peroxide generation. The theoretical contribution will be based on an ab-initio charge self-consistent method for predicting redox reaction energies and electron transfer activation energies for reactant and products solvated in bulk solution.

"Research Needs in Materials for Energy Applications"
John DuPont - Lehigh University

The ability to sustain existing energy sources and develop new sources of environmentally benign energy depends heavily on reliable engineering materials. For example, some existing coal-fired power plants are currently operating well beyond their design life. In this situation, aging materials are being forced to function under increasingly demanding conditions that involve damage due to creep, fatigue, and high temperature corrosion. The development of new structural materials, corrosion resistant coatings, and life assessment techniques is required to safely extend the lives of these plants beyond their original design life. The design of new coal and nuclear plants will involve conditions of temperature, stress, and corrosion for which existing materials are not adequate. This has created research opportunities for the development of new materials and coatings that can operate under these severe conditions. Similarly, the success of alternative energy sources will hinge on the development of new functional materials. This presentation will describe research needs in materials for energy applications by way of several examples, and will include descriptions of pertinent programs established by funding agencies that provide opportunities for research.

"U.S. Energy Needs and the Role of Technology in a Carbon-constrained World"
Benjamin Yamagata - Coal Utilization Research Council

The Congress is debating climate change legislation this fall and may enact some form of regulatory program to control emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). Coal, this Nation’s most abundant and least costly fossil fuel resource, is a principal target of efforts to reduce CO2 emissions. Technology is a means to insure the continued use of coal in a carbon constrained world. Developing cost effective technology to both capture and then store carbon dioxide from coal use will require time, focus and money. Rushing to impose constraints on CO2 emission without regard to the need to focus attention on technology solutions and without a public and private sector commitment of funds and personnel to develop, demonstrate and deploy those technologies could result in huge costs to the American economy and devastation to the coal industry. This presentation will survey the current politics of climate change and then will address the need for government and industry to commit to a multi-year, multi-billion dollar technology development program designed to insure the continued use of coal in a carbon–constrained world.

"U.S., Saudi Arabia, and Energy Security, The"
Henri Barkey - Lehigh University

Oil is one commodity whose market can truly be called global. Every barrel produced counts and every consumer is equally affected by fluctuations in its supply irrespective of its source of origin. Even if the U.S. were not to consume a single barrel of oil from either Saudi Arabia or Venezuela, any supply disruption in these countries would affect the price and availability of gasoline in every single state of the Union. Concerns about global warming and high oil prices not withstanding, the globe’s appetite for oil is unlikely to diminish in the foreseeable future but rather increase as the growth rates of emerging market economies accelerate. By 2020 energy consumption is slated to increase by as much as 40 percent from current levels. The Persian Gulf, with its enormous production capacity and, more importantly, with its proven reserves of oil, will continue to act as the heart of the global economy. Therefore, the pursuit of energy independence from the Middle East for the U.S. is not a realistic goal.

The challenge for the U.S. is to devise strategies for global cooperation that simultaneously balance a number of different contradictory interests. These include global warming and environmental degradation, energy security, defined as uninterrupted access at stable and reasonable prices, competition for new resources, and the prosecution of political goals, including the termination of the Iraq war and the containment of Iran.

"Useful Energy - Designing Energy Institutions For Value, Equity, Independence and Environmental Protection"
Albert Wurth - Lehigh University

Energy as an issue inescapably raises the question of “energy for what?” The familiar truism that energy is a means to an end underlies the significance of studies of energy means (e.g., end-use efficiency, renewable sources, reliability) analyzing energy’s use value. It also calls attention to those ends, the uses of energy, which are invariably socially determined and constrained. Social, political and economic forces establish the institutions and arrangements creating and supporting our energy systems. These arrangements are reflected in energy issues (e.g., energy costs, energy independence, energy conservation, clean or greener energy). These serve as reminders that a focus on useful energy not only can raise the questions of the best means to meet those uses, but can initiate a reexamination of the uses themselves. Protecting the environment requires not only advanced means to meet our energy needs, but a closer look at those “needs” themselves and of the institutions that serve them. Several peculiar energy-demanding institutions, from traffic systems to landscaping, are examined, along with possible alternatives, with an eye to their useful energy.