Chancellor John Wiley initiated a conference at the Fluno Center Monday morning to outline scientific and political difficulties in Wisconsin’s energy policy.
The full day event was a collaborative project between the chancellor’s office and the Wisconsin Public Utility Institute.
In Wiley’s speech, he said Wisconsin would upgrade its electric infrastructure and these upgrades would cause some negative environmental effects.
Wiley said Wisconsin must upgrade the electric grid to foster economic recovery to the state.
Kent Barrett, UW spokesman, added that Wiley’s attitude toward energy is genuine.
“I know Wiley believes strongly in energy policy,” Barrett said.
Wendy Grapentine, director of WPUI, said the two collaborating offices wanted to do something based on energy with less of a focus on specific utilities.
“We wanted to do something in a …broad context,” Grapentine said. She also added that all energy customers, students alike, should know what happens with energy policy.
“People don’t really care until lights don’t go on or the air quality is not where they want it to be,” she said. She added that forums like this one are meant to educate researchers, policymakers and business people.
Grapentine also said the students who attended the conference were mostly engineering students or members of student government.
UW engineering professor Bob Lasseter spoke at the Chancellor’s Energy Policy Forum, focusing on the new field of microgrids. Though many innovative and specific ideas were discussed at the forum, Lasseter said in an interview that no matter what was discussed, the energy consumer should know what is happening in the world, especially in the computer driven world.
“My personal bias in policy is the principle of energy needed to use anything in high-tech [business],” Lasseter said.
However, one source called Wiley “Nuclear John” and thought the chancellor put too much focus on energy.
Even though UW pays attention to energy needs, Lasseter said students should be optimistic about the employment market in the energy industry.
“People coming out of electrical engineering are getting jobs,” he said. He also predicted a boom in the need for jobs in the field of energy in the next five years due to an upcoming overwhelming shortage of workers.
Other notable speakers were Public Service Commission of Wisconsin Chair Bernie Bridge, UW engineering professor Fernando Alvarado, Wisconsin state Sen. Cowles’ assistant Todd Stuart, and businesspeople from various fields of energy companies, among other authorities on energy and energy policy.
