Said Al-Hallaj, a Jordanian-born research associate professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology, is quietly toiling away in his university lab. He says that he and other scientists are slowly perfecting new technologies that will push to the forefront a message for "clean energy technology" that is too often drowned out among the current wave of "shortsighted, reactionary solutions."
CHICAGO — With the summer driving season upon us, the loud, annual debate about the pain-in-the-neck pinch of gasoline prices has begun.
Some politicians are pushing an often-heard demand that major oil-producing nations such as Saudi Arabia boost output. Others want expanded drilling and exploration in regions such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
Meanwhile, Said Al-Hallaj, a Jordanian-born research associate professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology, is quietly toiling away in his university lab.
He says that he and other scientists are slowly perfecting new technologies that will push to the forefront a message for "clean energy technology" that is too often drowned out among the current wave of "shortsighted, reactionary solutions."
"In this country that has moved forward with innovation and entrepreneurship, we have to stay ahead of the curve," Al-Hallaj said. "We can't stop inventing and being creative."
A youthful-looking 39-year-old who is coordinator of IIT's Renewable Energy Programs, Al-Hallaj recently gave me a tour of his lab -- a spartan, clean, white space -- like a proud father showing off pictures of his cherub-cheeked children.
In one corner stood a motorized electric scooter with a jumble of wires coming from its caboose. It was a prototype to show how hydrogen fuel cells can be used to power a vehicle.
Close by, there was an elaborate design proposal outlining what Al-Hallaj calls the "Sustainable Village" project, an ambitious plan involving students and faculty to create an environmentally friendly 4,200-square-foot "House of the Future" built in the middle of the IIT campus powered totally by solar and wind energy.
In a conversation, Al-Hallaj laid out his plans for the future. Here's is an edited transcript: QUESTION: What is the Sustainable Village Project?
ANSWER: We want IIT to be a Sustainable Village, which means we want to show by example that you can improve your facility and create better air quality and better energy and water use with new clean technology. The project also will provide a unique educational opportunity for university staff, students and the community.
The first aspect is to build a "House of the Future" which will look like a normal single-family home but it will be a living lab completely powered by solar and wind energy.
What we will be saying to the community and the city and the world is that we believe in these new technologies and we will invest in them. The benefits for the Chicago community will be immense. So far, we finished the design this semester. Next semester, we will do a business plan and look for more funding.
Q: Your mantra for years has been pushing for research and development into clean energy sources. How has this become your mission?
A: I am from Jordan. It is a country that despite what most people believe, doesn't have oil and has a significant shortage of drinking water.
My first research was a master's thesis on using solar energy to desalinate water.
I also found that oil in that part of the world where I come from is both a blessing and a curse. A lot of politics and lot of our problems are created from or by oil.
A lot of economies are focused on this part of the world because oil is the blood of their economy. So if we make every nation energy-independent, then scientists like myself will be helping resolve some of the world's problems.
Q: You have often commented that the current concern over high gasoline prices is an example of how a shortsighted vision can increase rather than decrease energy dependence.
A: The problem is that people are addicted to quick fixes. You know the idea -- if you have a problem, call the doctor and get a pill. Or if it is broken, who cares, buy a new one. But some problems cannot be solved that way.
Pushing Saudi Arabia to pump more oil or drilling in Alaska or in the Gulf of Mexico will not work. We have to come up with alternative sources of energy that are environmentally benign but cost-effective.
That is why I like hydrogen technology. The nice thing about hydrogen is that you can make it from coal, natural gas, ethanol, wind energy, solar energy.
Q: But many people say hydrogen fuel-cell technology will take decades of development and too much money for investment?
A: It is true. From a cost point of view, the realization of the hydrogen economy is far off. Fuel cells are still expensive. They work but they are expensive.
There also is a scientific hurdle, which is that we still don't have the technology yet to store enough hydrogen on a vehicle to drive it 300 miles before refueling.
This is a fundamental problem that will require discovery of new materials and technologies and will take a lot of research and development.
But we can't stop inventing. We can't sit on our butts and take things for granted while the rest of the world is running. Soon they are going to catch up and they already are. The age of entrepreneurship, innovation is what kept the United States ahead.
Q: Are you an environmentalist or an entrepreneur at heart?
A: I am not a tree-hugger. I will tell anyone that. I drive a Maxima. I don't want anyone to tell me what to drive.
I know products must be market-driven but they also must have what I call a social and environmental conscience.
My goal is to commercialize technology -- to take it from the lab, build prototypes and then either start up businesses with students or launch and license it to other companies.
That is my goal -- to make technology work and hopefully get rich along the way.
I believe what Confucius said: "Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life."
And I don't feel that I am working. I really enjoy it. It is a fantasy job.
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Source: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
