A new system to convert sunlight into electricity that will provide power to two buildings at Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is an early step to a technology of the future, according to laboratory director Thom Mason.
"It's important that we don't just talk about this stuff and study it," Mason says. "We're actually using it. Like everyone else in their homes and in their businesses, we're making sure that we refit with fluorescent lights, modern heating and cooling and smart systems so that we do things in an efficient way.'
Mason says such renewable energy systems are good for the environment.
"That's equivalent to about 12,000 pounds of CO2 per year not being released into the atmosphere," Mason says.
Mason made his remarks during the Southeast Solar Summit at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle for the Department of Energy.