Bradbury Science Museum hosts bright ideas on energy efficiency

As the demand for energy-dependent goods and services continues to rise threatening to outweigh the energy infrastructure's ability to supply power, the Laboratory develops new technologies that reduce energy consumption and lessen the environmental impact. At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, at the Bradbury Science Museum, Robert Dye of Polymers and Coatings (MST-7) will present several of the latest energy saving and efficient technologies, discuss energy efficiency and engage the audience in lively discussions.

This talk is the third in a series titled "Science Conversations" that are designed to engage the community in conversations about the Laboratory's energy-related research and how it is helping to provide solutions to critical national and international energy questions.

The talks are free and geared for the nontechnical and technical audience.

"Technology and the Industrial Revolution got us into mass energy consumption and now we need to rely on new technologies to help us find ways to sustain and improve our quality of life without using more energy," said Dye.

In the presentation titled "Energy Efficiency: It's a Matter of Supply and Demand," Dye will talk about the diamond lamp, a new type of lighting that is more energy efficient and environmentally friendly than conventional fluorescent lighting. He also will present information on electrotint, a system that uses an electrical signal to change a window from transparent to opaque or anything in between.

Dye will highlight high-temperature superconductors, industrial process controls and nanotechnology's latest applications in the field of energy efficiency and conservation.

Dye, a physical chemist and former Los Alamos project leader for the Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Office of Industrial Technologies, currently works on several energy efficiency projects.

The monthly "Science Conversations" series continues through December and features such topics as fuel cells, carbon sequestration, water for energy, energy futures and energy efficient technologies.

The talks are sponsored in part by the Laboratory's Energy and Environment Council, a Lab-wide organization that oversees energy and environmental research at Los Alamos.

The museum is located at 15th Street and Central Avenue in Los Alamos. For more information, call Pat Berger at 5-0896.

-- Shelley Thompson

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