| AVS 59th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition | |
| Energy Frontiers Focus Topic | Thursday Sessions |
| Session EN+NS-ThA |
| Session: | Thermophotovoltaics, Thermoelectrics and Plasmonics |
| Presenter: | E.B. Svedberg, The National Academies |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
A new report from the National Research Council of the National Academies identifies research priorities and grand challenges to fill gaps in optics and photonics, a field that has the potential to advance not only the energy field but also the economy of the United States and the world, the report provides visionary directions for future technology applications, and ensure progress in energy related research. As one of its recommendations the report recommends that the federal government develop a "National Photonics Initiative" to bring together academia, industry, and government to steer federal research and development funding and activities.
Eight particular areas of technological application are discussed in separate chapters: communications, information processing, and data storage; defense and national security; energy; health and medicine; advanced manufacturing; advanced photonic measurements and applications; strategic materials for optics; and displays. Each chapter reviews updates that have occurred since the 1998 National Research Council report Harnessing Light: Optical Science and Engineering for the 21st Century, as well as the technological opportunities that have risen from recent advances in optical science and engineering. This presentation will focus on the energy section of the report that deals not only with energy generation but also how to reduce excessive usage of energy. The report additionally recommends actions for the development and maintenance of the photonics-driven sector of the energy industry, including both near-term and long-range goals, likely participants, and responsible agents of change.
The recommended National Photonics Initiative will help manage the breadth of rapidly expanding applications of photonics technologies, allowing both governments and industry to develop coherent strategies for technology development and deployment in the energy sector. The initiative should also spearhead a collaborative effort to improve the collection and reporting of research, development, and economic data on this sector.