Obama's visit Penn State to spotlight energy research

President Obama will visit Pennsylvania State University's main campus Wednesday to highlight its cutting-edge research in energy efficiency, White House officials announced Friday.

The trip to State College is part of Obama's political push to capitalize on his call for more research and innovation in clean-energy technology during Tuesday's State of the Union address.

Penn State has been awarded a $122 million grant by the Department of Energy to use on its "energy innovation hub" at the Navy Yard, where the university is leading research into energy-efficient building design and retrofitting.

"We're thrilled," said Henry C. Foley, Penn State's vice president for research and dean of the graduate school, who will lead the effort. "We're going into a new era of science and technology led by him, and we're very happy to be a lead institution helping to drive this all forward."

Obama will visit labs related to architectural and structural engineering, he said. Penn State spokeswoman Lisa Powers said the university had 150 researchers working on energy efficiency.

"We're really excited that we're being recognized by the president for our work in energy research," Powers said.

Obama said during his address that the United States should get 80 percent of its electricity from clean-energy sources by 2035, saying it needed to step up its game to be competitive in the world economy.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu said Friday that energy efficiency would be a big part of meeting that goal. "Countries all around the world are moving to innovate in energy efficiency," Chu said in a conference call. "This is a race."

The university is to begin receiving its Energy Department grant money, the largest single grant in Penn State's history, on Tuesday.

Over the next five years, the federal government will provide a total of $129 million for the research project at the Navy Yard, which will involve researchers from academia, the private sector, and two national laboratories who will study ways to save energy and cut carbon pollution.

U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson (R., Pa.), who represents the State College area, welcomed Obama's emphasis on Penn State's work but said the president should also embrace the supply side of the energy equation.

Thompson said, "I am hopeful during his visit that Mr. Obama will touch on the importance of domestic energy production, especially oil, coal, and natural gas - each just as critical to any credible, long-term energy plan - and what steps the administration is taking to increase our domestic energy supply."