Events
UNC-Chapel Hill Leader Shares Insights on Future of Energy
RALEIGH, N.C. (September 24, 2013) - “The way we are living – right now – is not sustainable.” Those words opened a special presentation today at Wake Tech Community College by Dr. David McNelis, Director of the Center for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economic Development in UNC-Chapel Hill’s Institute for the Environment. McNelis told students and staff that the world must focus more on renewable energy sources. He was the keynote speaker at the Center for Strategic Futures, where he outlined the importance of decreasing our dependence on coal, gas and other traditional energy sources.
McNelis detailed efforts to produce energy from alternative sources and make them accessible to consumers. “A rooftop wind turbine and a solar panel that heats a water tank – these are practical ways people can use renewable energy sources,” McNelis said. He also discussed the importance of using technology to increase the efficiency of appliances and the need for conservation: “A ‘smart’ refrigerator that uses less electricity to run will pay for itself in just a few years.”
McNelis is President of Nuclear Fuel Cycle Technologies LLC and an adjunct professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at NC State University. He has more than 45 years of experience in environmental sciences and engineering in government, university, and industry settings. He served in research and research management positions with the U.S. Army, the U.S. Public Health Service and the Environmental Protection Agency; with the Department of Energy's prime contractor for the Nevada Test Site; and with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
The Wake Tech Center for Strategic Futures was established to facilitate the exchange of ideas and spark collaborative action. The goal is to convene local business, government, and educational leaders to address economic trends, to help students better prepare for careers of the future.
