[E&E seminars] Tomorrow - William Tumas: An Overview of NREL Solar Energy Programs and Capabilities

[MIT Energy Initiative]

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Overview of NREL Solar Energy Programs and Capabilities: Sunshot, Solar
Thermal, and Solar Fuels



William Tumas

Director, Chemical and Materials Science Center, National Renewable
Energy Laboratory (NREL)

Friday, April 29

2:00 - 3:00 PM

Room E19-319



 Abstract



Meeting our future global energy needs in an environmentally
responsible way is perhaps the greatest challenge facing the world in
the twenty-first century. An overview the solar energy R&D programs at
the National Renewable Energy Laboratory will be presented with a focus
on the chemical and materials science aspects. This work spans the
range from basic research using theory, synthesis, spectroscopy and
characterization to applied research including the fabrication,
measurement and testing of devices. The overall goal of this seminar is
to outline NREL projects, capabilities, existing collaborations and
program plans in photovoltaics, solar thermal and solar fuels to
provide a context for discussions of potential collaborations between
NREL and MIT. Key results and examples from NREL R&D programs will be
discussed. A synopsis of the recently announced DOE Sunshot Initiative
to make large-scale solar energy systems cost competitive without
subsidies by the end of the decade will also be provided along with a
discussion of short-term funding opportunities, workshops and other
potential mechanisms for collaboration. Plans and opportunities for
developing a solar fuels program focused on solar hydrogen generation
will also be discussed.



About the speaker



Dr. William Tumas is the Director of the Center for Chemical and
Materials Science which integrates theory, chemistry and materials
science to tackle key problems in renewable energy including solar
energy conversion, hydrogen and fuel cells, energy storage and energy
efficiency. He is also the NREL Alliance University representative to
MIT responsible for coordinating collaboration and interactions between
MIT and NREL. Prior to joining NREL in December, 2009, Bill was the
Program Director for Applied Energy Programs (SPO-AE) at Los Alamos
National Laboratory where he was responsible for renewable energy,
infrastructure, energy efficiency, and fossil energy. From 2004-2007,
he was also the lead principal investigator of the DOE Center of
Excellence for Chemical Hydrogen Storage and the Institute Director of
the Los Alamos Institute for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Research. From
1994-2005, Dr. Tumas was the group leader of the inorganic chemistry
group in the Chemistry Division. Before working at Los Alamos, he was a
research chemist, then a project leader in environmental and oxidation
catalysis at DuPont Central Research, Wilmington, DE where he was also
a member of the DuPont Corporate Catalysis Center and the Corporate
Environmental Technology Panel.





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