“The earth is warming and mankind is most probably responsible for what is happening,” asserted Peter Darbee, the C.E.O. of Pacific Gas and Electric Corporation (PG&E Corp.), this past Friday at the Jones Seminar in the Dartmouth Thayer School of Engineering. He proceeded to discuss such topics as climate change, innovation, and leadership in relation to environment sustainability.
According to Darbee, excessive carbon emissions are the most detrimental of all the problems facing the environment. His goal is to have one third of California’s power supply be a product of renewable energy sources by 2020. These include nuclear and solar power, two fields in which have seen significant technological advances.
Darbee, with regard to his company’s use of nuclear power, explained that while there may be controversy surrounding its safety, the newer generation of nuclear reactors is much safer. These devices feature the use of convection currents rather than pumps to circulate cooling, making power plants more secure.
Additionally, recent innovation with regard to solar energy could prove to be an “immense breakthrough,” according to Darbee. PG&E Corp. is currently under contract with Solaren Corp. in which the latter company agreed to establish a satellite that will collect solar energy in outer space, convert the energy into microwaves, and beam the waves to the Earth. No longer will the process of capturing solar energy be dependent on the time of day or be interrupted by atmospheric and weather conditions.
Darbee further stated that “It is very important for our future that we pursue the [electric car].” This will decrease our dependence on foreign oil as well as supply an alternative to the combustion engine, which is highly unsustainable.
These recent innovations and their applications to increasing sustainability have earned PG&E the title of the seventh most innovative company in the United States. As a leader in the energy industry, Darbee has been “working everyday to try to reduce [his company’s] emissions” and encouraging other companies in the industry to follow suit with progressive ideas to improve environmental conservation.
However, the problems with environmental sustainability are not only to be handled by the leaders of the government and corporate world. Darbee insists that everyone take part in communicating to others the urgency of the issue and making an impact.