Several scientists from NASA Langley’s Science Directorate attended an energy summit hosted by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) on Friday. The goal of the summit was to determine how Virginians can maximize new opportunities in energy generation and management.

Cities and countries around the world are recognizing the need for reduced dependence on non-renewable sources of energy and are turning to technologies that use energy sources that are easily replenished, such as wind, water and solar energy.

Virginia is no exception. In the past four years, the Commonwealth has created a governor’s commission on climate change to investigate ways to mitigate its the causes and effects. The state also has begun partnering with Germany in a "Transatlantic Climate Bridge," a global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve community energy planning and promote low-carbon technologies.

Warner told a crowd of about 500 at Hampton University’s Student Center that he organized the summit because he believes the country is at an important crossroads for its energy policy. The nation’s reliance on fossil fuels is contributing to manmade climate change, Warner said, while our dependence on imported oil from countries that are decidedly anti-U.S. represents a national security threat.

But Warner, who before he became Virginia’s governor in 2001 made millions in the nascent cell phone market, also said he sees the energy sector as the driver of the U.S. and world economies over the next two decades.

"When Mark Warner says that, you need to listen," said Daniel Poneman, who is deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy and was the summit’s keynote speaker. Poneman said Warner’s track record in spotting emerging economic opportunity should not be lost on the entrepreneurs in the audience who are looking to break through with renewable or alternative energy products.

Panelists talked about their role in disbursing stimulus dollars in Virginia toward energy-saving activities, such as home and business weatherization. They also discussed grant money available for energy-related technology research, and ongoing work by utilities and small businesses in Virginia on technologies such as the "smart grid" and fast-charging batteries for electric vehicles – ones that could recharge in 10-15 minutes, rather than three or more hours, for more than 200 miles of driving.

NASA was invited to the conference because of the work being done by the Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resource (POWER) program, which has helped communities and decision makers around the world evaluate converting to renewable energy technologies.

Rich Eckman, Roberta Dipasquale and Rory Collins from Langley's Science Directorate and Arlene Levine from the Strategic Relationships Office met with two of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s senior advisers before the summit to talk about Langley's applications relevant to renewable energy. The four met with Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources Nikki Rovner and Kaine’s Senior Adviser for Energy Policy Stephen A. Walz.

"This forum allowed us to better understanding the energy needs of local and state end-users and policy makers and also to inform them of Langley's climate change and energy-related research and applications activities," Eckman said. "We're always interested in extending our research results to non-science users."

One example of that kind of partnership is RETScreen, a software tool developed by Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN) in partnership with NASA. RETScreen uses NASA data to evaluate existing or expected energy use and assess potential savings opportunities from a transition to renewable energy technologies. The analysis can also calculate what a renewable energy system will cost and estimate the return on investment for financing.

Patrick Lynch
NASA's Langley Research Center

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