Hundreds of eager energy, thirsty conventioneers braved the gorgeous weather of Washington, DC and the flurries of cherry blossoms to attend the Energy Information Administration’s annual energy conference. This year’s theme: Short-Term Stresses, Long-Term Change.

Keynote addresses frontloaded the conference. Headliners included Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, and Director of the National Economic Council, Lawrence Summers. Let’s begin!

Steven Chu came into the event under a heavy cloud: a coal mining disaster in West Virginia had left, at the time, 25 dead and four missing. His presentation avoided discussing the issue, however. Instead, Chu made bold calls for a “new industrial revolution,” one that ensures competitiveness (of the U.S. in the world), weans this country from oil dependence, and mitigates climate change.

“We can and must be a global leader” in the clean energy economy, Chu stated. Already this is being accomplished in mandating standards in appliance energy usage and home energy efficiency.

For those not sold on the market incentives or who are not tickled by technological innovations, Chu stated that smarter energy-resource use enhances the U.S.’s national security. These can be accomplished in a myriad of sectors, like:

• Transportation, especially through increased transition to electric cars
• Responsible expansion of offshore oil and natural gas exploration and production
• Development of clean coal technology
• Nuclear energy development, especially small modular reactors

All of these elements cannot happen, Chu told the audience, without large-scale, rapid deployment of private-sector investment into new technologies. Likewise carbon caps will be important policy initiatives that will spur innovation amongst the private sector.

This new industrial revolution must occur. Indeed, it will occur, for as Chu points out, oil prices will continue to rise, and the risks of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent.

Likewise, the European Union and China are moving ahead with their new energy revolutions; the United States must catch up—“we can still lead” the world in innovation and energy usage, Chu declares.

See “Shale Gas Snippets” for a quick note on Chu’s position on shale gas exploration.

Posted by Shaun Randol at 12:50 PM