Renewable Energy players discuss challenges, opportunities

Creating a hydrogen economy remains a huge challenge according to most experts, including those from government, industry and university speaking at an alternative energy conference held June 2 at Wayne State University's McGregor Conference Center.

The speakers pointed out huge cost issues - it costs energy to extract hydrogen - technological and economic challenges, as well as social and political. The top competitor to a sustainable fuel economy "is not just an industry, but an entire world with a century of fossil fuel business behind it," said Roy Davis, director of design operations at Ballard Power Systems Corporation, a leader in the development of hydrogen fuel cells. Entire industries have grown up around the component of the internal combustion engine that will need to be rebuilt around the fuel cell, he said.

"Superior customer values have allowed the gas-powered car to prevail," said Bernard Robertson, former senior ice president of Engineering Technologies at DaimlerChrsyler, citing the failure of electric, ethanol and natural gas-powered vehicles to catch on with the public that has thus far favored value and convenience over the environment.

Yet, despite these challenges, the tone of the experts, as well as those of faculty members attending the conference from five Michigan colleges with alternative energy technology programs, was positive. "The great turnout, more than our organizers anticipated, is not merely an expression of interest; it's a statement," said Ralph Kummler, interim dean of the WSU College of Engineering.

More than 170 people attended, a lot more than we originally expected, said David Reich, information officer for the College of Engineering. The Alternative Energy Program at the College of Engineering, together with NextEnergy, which supports its course and program development, organized the all-day conference, titled "Alternative Energy: Training the Workforce of the Future."

The educators in attendance spent the afternoon sessions sharing information about course offerings and plans, and discussing the issues necessary to integrate their programs, which range from an associate of art's to a master's in sustainable energy technology. Last year, NextEnergy funded grants amounting to $750,000 to develop alternative energy technology programs at Wayne State, Lansing Community College, Lawrence Technological University, Kettering University, and the University of Michigan. This year, NextEnergy will be approving grant proposals for the next implementation phase. The schools have already begun to offer the first courses.

"I'm so excited to give students an opportunity to work in this area," said Yu Qin, one of the instructors attending the conference. Qin will be teaching power systems and power electronics as part of Wayne State's AE program. He is also the owner of a company developing technology as well as building and installing power conversion systems that interface with renewable energy grids for customer use.

While hydrogen fuel cell cars continue to create a lot of attention -- General Motors, for example, will be the first to manufacture and sell to the public a commercially viable fuel cell car in six years, GM's Bill Peirce told conference attendees -- "The stationary fuel cell power systems will be the first to reach integration," said James Croce, director of NextEnergy.

The new economy will need to rely on a diversity of renewable sources, said Croce, who makes a strong case for Michigan as the future hub for the new economy. "We need to be progressing toward hydrogen, but we don't want to bet the farm on it," he said.

Construction on NextEnergy's learning and incubator facility, including a demonstration micro-grid of diverse renewable fuels that will power the Center, began this spring and is scheduled to open in a year. It is located just north of the WSU campus, and just south of the New Center area.

Croce said one of his roles is an educator, particularly for lawmakers in Lansing, who are key to opening avenues for the transition to a new economy. NextEnergy is also a facilitator for the main players -- the lawmakers, the industry policymakers, the engineers and scientists. "They're not necessarily talking to each other," he said. "I'm interested in getting this synergy of problem-solving together."

Another challenge regards environmental literacy. There is a huge education gap, and it's not technical, but social, political and legal, said Debra Rowe, a professor of environmental technology at Oakland Community College, who stood up during the audience discussion portion of the industrial panel session. "Our education today is based on the old paradigm that natural resources are endless."

For more information about the feds and fuel cells, visit:

www.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells
www.nrel.gov

For other websites with information on sustainable energy, including hands-on technology, action groups, etc., try these websites suggested by Dr. Debra Rowe, professor of environmental technology at Oakland Community College:

www.turnthetide.org
www.ase.org
www.ucsusa.org
www.eerl.org
www.ulsf.org
www.esdtoolkit.org
www.ases.org
www.awea.org
www.ncseonline.org/efs

And for more information on the Wayne State degree programs supported by NextEnergy, visit:

www.eng.wayne.edu/page.php?id=1505