Some people may wonder why MATEC is looking into Energy Utilization.  It is actually a natural fit – MATEC, and MATEC NetWorks, has worked with semiconductors, electronics, and automation, which also grew to include nanotechnology (partnership with the NACK center) and alternative energy – photovoltaic (which is closely related to semiconductors in the manufacturing process), wind, and others, which all involve electronics.

A lot of people who are not into electronics or other fields that deal with energy may be surprised at how much energy is lost from production to consumer.  When you produce 12 watts of power from a generating station and transmit it to a house – the house really only receives 4 watts of power.

            Nearly two-thirds of electrical power generated is lost in transmission and distribution (3), which is a staggering statistic.  Viewed as an opportunity, however, it means we could (in principle) more than double our energy supply without consuming any additional resources.  Electrical grids in most parts of the world are often decades old, if not more than a century old.  Turning these old grids into “smart grids” is a priority for most nations, and technology is the key enabler. 

And this is one of the areas that the Energy Utilization Center brings into focus – to help develop curriculum for instructors, to bring resources together for instructors to use in their classrooms.  It is technology that is the “enabler” – it is the electronics – the semiconductors – that are created – these fields all have to be taught – these jobs need technicians and engineers.  The Energy Utilization Center will help.

(3) President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, Energy Imperative, November 2006, Fig. I-1.

Mark Viquesney