Setting the course for energy technology research
Lynn Orr, undersecretary for science and energy at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), spoke at MIT Thursday about the department’s newly issued Quadrennial Technology Review, which sums up the top priorities for research over the next four years. The report was the result of a long process and, according to Orr, provides “a snapshot of where we stand in the energy technology world, and an assessment of where the research opportunities lie.” The report should be useful, Orr said, for the DOE itself and for universities, industry, and “pretty much anybody who’s interested in the energy landscape.” He explained that the report outlines approaches to energy research based on three overriding goals: economic security, energy security, and environmental security. To illustrate what basic research in energy technologies can accomplish — and why it’s essential to accelerate that process as much as possible — Orr cited the steam engine, which at its...