Energy experts look to change consumer habits

Consumer habits are the biggest obstacle preventing the widespread adoption of clean energy sources, said industry insiders and academics at a clean energy conference at the Boston University School of Management on Friday.

Finding sustainable, renewable fuel sources are an urgent matter, said BU President Robert Brown at the introductory ceremony for "Clean Energy: Pathways to Adoption."

"This is really a very timely discussion to be having at Boston University," Brown said. "We need to see . . . new energy giants of the 21st century."

Although the renewable-fuels industry is slowly growing, it is still small because of the country's dependency on fossil fuels, said keynote speaker Tony Lent, of the U.S. Renewables Group LLC, a firm that manages a portfolio of renewable energy assets.

"Every single day, we use a river of oil," he said. "We have an entirely fossilized economy."

The conference was part of an emerging technology seminar series sponsored by the College of Engineering each semester. Co-hosted by SMG for the first time, the conference aimed to incorporate different perspectives from the renewable-fuel industry, said ENG administrative director Deborah Dunklee.

BU administrators have proposed the idea of creating a center for clean-energy research on campus, which would involve research from the College of Arts and Sciences, ENG and SMG, said ENG professor Uday Pal.

"We will use the center as a springboard to launch highly visible studies," he said. "We will train students in areas of energy efficiency, clean energy and new technologies."

Environmental problems will lessen if consumers purchase environmentally friendly products, including solar panels and fuel cells -- which produce electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen -- and use them consistently and correctly, said panelist Chuck McDermott of RockPort Capital Partners.

"There are some simple steps to make a significant difference," he said. "Sometimes, it's about focusing on the art of the doable."

Looking at clean energy from a business perspective, significant planning and strategy need to be enacted for the government to adopt the new technologies, said Sudhir Nunes, industry investment and development manager for the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.

"With regards to global climate change, things really get done where they make economic sense," he said. "In thinking about the bottlenecks to commercialization of this technology, we need realistic management."

Pinpointing a lack of infrastructure in implementing clean-energy technology, SMG professor Nalin Kulatilaka said user feedback would help solve the problem.

"In order to estimate energy savings, we need to know how the end user really deploys them," he said.

Ze-gen Inc. CEO Bill Davis stressed the combination of renewable energy studies and energy efficiency.

"If you think about waste as a source of energy, it reduces both the effects of fuel burning and reduces emissions which would come from additional landfills," he said.

James Cross, technology development vice president of Nuvera Fuel Cells, discussed the potential of using fuel cells, including powering cars.

"Energy demand is increasing, and our environment is at risk," Cross said. "Hopefully, in the next two years, you will see a hydrogen bus at Logan [International Airport]."

All aspects of implementing clean energy technologies need to be explored, and not just the obvious problems, said Dickinson Henry, executive director of Jordan Institute, a nonprofit organization that works to improve climate-change effects on the building industry.

"I don't want everyone to be seduced by electricity because that is what everyone tends to focus on," he said. "We need real-time management and financial tools."