By TIM THORNBERRY
Kentucky Correspondent

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Obama administration has barely taken over in Washington, but already the buzz concerning renewable energy is making news across the country.

In fact, the new administration’s stimulus package includes $50 billion in renewable energy research.

In Kentucky, the University of Louisville (UL) just announced the largest individual donation to UL or any public Kentucky university will go to support the work of. Kentucky’s Center for Renewable Energy Research and Environmental Stewardship.

Gov. Steve Beshear recently announced he is entering into a memorandum of agreement with UL to operate the center which was created by the Kentucky General Assembly in 2007 to provide leadership, research, support and policy development in renewable energy.

“The center achieves several objectives laid out in my administration’s strategic energy plan for Kentucky, including creating higher quality jobs, identifying methods that allow citizens to be more energy efficient and helping our nation become energy secure,” Beshear said.

The gift comes from UL engineering and business alumnus Henry Conn and his wife, Rebecca. The center will be located in the school’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering and will be named the Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research and Environmental Stewardship in their honor.

“We were looking for one cause to significantly support in an effort to make the needle move, to really make a difference,” said Henry Conn. “The vision of the Conn Center at the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, and for a cause that I had advocated in all of my recent writings, speeches and a book in process, was so compelling that we bought in full-bore.”

The center will promote partnerships among the state’s colleges and universities, private industry and nonprofit organizations to actively pursue federal research and development resources that are dedicated to renewable energy.

This is just one in a series of projects and events in the state dealing with alternative or renewable energy research. Last month Eastern Kentucky University announced a partnership with General Atomics, a leader in energy research and defense manufacturing, creating the EKU Center for Renewable and Alternative Fuel Technologies (CRAFT) where researchers will examine the potential for a cellulose-derived biodiesel industry here. The University of Kentucky is involved in a project with Eastern Kentucky Power Cooperative that examines the use of swithgrass as a coal additive to power generating plants.

Renewable, good or bad?

Renewable energy including natural resources such as wind, sun and water and fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel have taken center stage in today’s energy arena but have been used in one form or another for generations. But many environmentalists and economists are finding fault with the “movement.” With as much as one third of the nation’s corn crop now used for ethanol production, the cost of corn has risen. This increase has prompted opponents to question the use of food stocks for energy purposes noting higher prices for livestock owners, and ultimately consumers.
The turn toward fuels created from cellulosic material may give livestock growers relief but the use of corn stover has come under fire from environmental advocates.

“Corn stover is sometimes thought of as agricultural waste, but it serves an important function when left on the field. Increasing harvest of stover has the potential to exacerbate soil erosion, reduce surface-water quality, and increase agriculture-related greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming,” said Liz Marshall, lead author of a report released by the World Resources Institute.

Marshal added, “It is becoming increasingly difficult to justify support of the biofuels industry without assurances that the biofuels produced achieve policy objectives without unacceptable soil, water, and air side effects. Environmental safeguards should be required for participation in any government programs that provide incentives for ethanol industry growth.”

The use of natural resources seems to be a suitable alternative for traditional fossil fuels but costs and environmental concerns are plaguing these choices as well.

More money

Despite concerns from some groups about new fuel sources, the federal government is pouring money into the research on behalf of environmental concerns as well as pumping up a deflated economy.

On January 30, the U.S. Departments of Energy (DOE) and Agriculture (USDA) announced up to $25 million in funding for “research and development of technologies and processes to produce biofuels, bioenergy, and high-value bio-based products, subject to annual appropriations.”

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said, “These projects will be among many of the Obama Administration investments that will help strengthen our economy and address the climate crisis. A robust biofuels industry – focused on the next generation of biofuels – is critical to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing our addiction to foreign oil and putting Americans back to work.”

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack echoed those sentiments and said, “USDA is committed to research that will support President Obama’s goal of dramatically increasing the production of biofuels in the United States. These grants will help support the development of a sustainable domestic biofuels industry by broadening the nation’s energy sources as well as improving the efficiency of renewable fuels.”

Projects will be funded in three technical areas specified in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act (FCEA) of 2008 including feedstocks development, biofuels and biobased products development, and biofuels development analysis.

Planned award amounts range from $1 million up to $5 million with project periods up to four years, subject to annual appropriations according to DOE information. Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, national laboratories, federal research agencies, state research agencies, private sector entities, non-profit organizations, or a consortium of two or more of those entities.
For more information go to: www.grants.gov or USDA’s Energy webpage and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.