In a speech at the National Press Club, US Energy Secretary Steven Chu said that the success of China and other countries in clean energy industries represents a new "Sputnik Moment" for the United States.
Perhaps it is well to remember here that the "Sputnik" moment to which he referred was on October 4, 1957. Difficult to grasp, perhaps, its connection to clean energy.
Do not underestimate Steven Chu, however. He is known for his research at Bell Labs which won him a share of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997. He was a professor of physics and molecular and cellular biology at the University of California, Berkeley and the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Previously, he had been a professor of physics at Stanford University.
EnergyPortal.EU reports Chu is a vocal advocate for more research into alternative energy and nuclear power.