New U.S. Energy SecretaryCalls for `Revolution’ in Energy Technology

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said that ending the world’s dependence on fossil fuels and solving the climate crisis will require Nobel Prize-level breakthroughs in three key technologies: solar power, electric batteries, and developing new crops for biofuels. In an interview with The New York Times, Chu — a Nobel laureate in physics — said that solar technology must become five times more efficient than it is today and that scientists must develop new plants that require little energy to grow and can be easily turned into biofuels. And even though he once termed coal a “nightmare,” Chu said that since developing countries such as China and India will be dependent on abundant coal supplies for years to come, scientists must find a way to capture and store the carbon dioxide produced by coal combustion. Chu said he was optimistic that a concerted, government-backed research effort could lead to these breakthroughs, adding, “I think science and technology can generate much better choices. It has, consistently, over hundreds and hundreds of years.”