Troy, N.Y. – Three Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni with backgrounds in energy innovation returned to campus on Monday, April 3, 2006 to participate in a public discussion on the roles that alternative energy sources could play in the future. The event, titled “Imagining the Future of Energy,” was part of the Rensselaer Alumni Association’s (RAA) Back to Campus Speaker Series, and was moderated by Nag Patibandla, director of Rensselaer’s Center for Future Energy Systems.

Panelists included: Robert Hanfling ’59, president and COO of KFx in Denver, a company that produces K-Fuel – a high-quality, solid fuel derived from low-cost, low-grade coal; Steve Percy ’68, former chairman and CEO of British Petroleum and senior vice president of Conoco-Philips, who served as a member of President Clinton’s Council on Sustainable Development as co-chair of its Climate Change Task Force; and William Acker ’83, CEO and president of MTI MicroFuels Inc., a developer in the micro fuel cell industry.

“The need for energy diversity is a challenge that requires us to develop new strategies and ways of thinking. Gathering together the nation’s energy innovators – like those who took part in the panel discussion here – is crucial in fostering, implementing, and achieving sustainable energy solutions on a global scale,” says Patibandla. “Rensselaer’s Center for Future Energy Systems is focused on transforming scientific knowledge in sustainable energy technologies into economically competitive, pragmatic applications for the 21st century.”

The Center for Future Energy Systems seeks to meet the energy challenges of the 21st century by focusing on innovation in and commercialization of energy conservation and renewable energy systems. Research focuses on renewable energy and energy conservation systems, with emphasis on fuel cells and the hydrogen economy, smart lighting, smart displays, and emerging renewable energy systems. Future research priorities will track new scientific developments and marketplace opportunities.

Contact: Amber Cleveland
Phone: (518) 276-2146
E-mail: clevea@rpi.edu