Expert opinion : Rosa Yang

Rosa Yang is Vice President of Innovation at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in the United States. A nuclear engineer, she is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and began her career at General Electric before joining EPRI in 1987, where she directed research on materials chemistry for the nuclear power sector.

Alternatives: In your opinion, what will be the invention that will change everything in terms of energy?

Rosa Yang: It is not possible to choose only one. But in my opinion, the priority is to develop and validate carbon capture and sequestering technologies. More than 50% of the world's electricity is generated by coal! So these technologies are absolutely necessary if we are to compose a carbon-light energy mix. Upgrading the electric grid is every bit as crucial. The EPRI has established a working group that takes both of these aspects into account: the ElectriNet initiative is another way of thinking about electricity. In this project, users take part in diversifying resources and interact to optimize the generation, management and consumption of electricity.

What progress is yet to be made?

R. Yang: We need a carbon-light system of electricity generation that can serve as a model for the other economic sectors. A smart electric grid that optimizes transmission and distribution, that includes intermittent renewable energies and large-scale storage. We foresee an electric transportation system encompassing electric cars and the rail system. And local power systems that manage resources and onsite production. This ElectriNet isn't just a plan for action, it is a whole new vision of the electric power supply system.

What are the obstacles to achieving rapid results?

R. Yang: There are many, a lot of them linked to technology, like more efficient coal-fired plants or applications that optimize end-user consumption. But there are economic, regulatory and societal obstacles as well. For example, rising demand for energy requires deployment of large-scale power generation, which will in turn require new transmission and distribution lines. These projects inevitably give rise to reservations. They raise environmental issues, they're subject to federal requirements. There are also legal and regulatory issues concerning carbon sequestration that remain to be resolved if it is to be used on a large scale.