Office of Science & Technology - Introducing Arnold Leitner and the (Sun)Rise of Solar Power
Menu Content/Inhalt

Podcast

This is the subscription link for bridges podcasts.

podcast
Please find more information in the podcast section.
Introducing Arnold Leitner and the (Sun)Rise of Solar Power Print E-mail
bridges vol. 19, October 2008 / News From the Network: Austrian Researchers Abroad

By Katharina Jarmai

mp3 download

Leitner_LocalHero_Jul06_small.jpg
Dr. Arnold Leitner
A man standing alone in the desert. Barefoot in a business suit with rolled-up trouser legs, he carries a worn-out briefcase - and a big grin on his face. The timing is just right for Arnold Leitner, CEO and President of SkyFuel: With both oil prices and the public awareness of renewable energy rising to new heights, the time has come to save the planet and make good bucks with his company SkyFuel, a leading technology provider and developer of thermal concentrating solar power (CSP) systems.

The picture's motif was actually adapted from a poster of the 1980's movie, Local Hero. In the film, a representative of an American oil company is sent to Scotland to acquire a small village from its inhabitants to make way for an oil refinery, but he is won over by his affection for the countryside and the village people. Leitner considers it one of his favorite movies, because it depicts the situation we find ourselves in today. "The energy supply question is not about who's good and who's bad. It is just that we have a problem, and we need to fix it."

Given the early hour of the interview - it is only 8 A.M. in Colorado where he is answering my questions over the phone - Leitner, who holds a Ph.D. in superconductor physics from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and an M.B.A. from Columbia University, speaks passionately about his work and his beliefs. He remembers having his mind made up about his future line of work - solar energy - at the age of 15. It was in his high school library that he came across the picture of a train carrying radioactive waste to a storage facility. The low radioactive waste would have to be stored for ‘only' 10,000 years. While Leitner was already interested in environmental protection at the time, it was this picture and its message that triggered a basic conclusion: Access to, and control of, energy would become one of the world's most important issues in the near future. "I recognized that with almost any environmental problem I could think of, the one thing that all of these things needed was energy." Nuclear energy was not going to be the answer to the world's energy demand, he decided, so something else would have to be.


Access to the full article is free, but requires you to register. Registration is simple and quick – all we need is your name and a valid e-mail address. We appreciate your interest in bridges.
 
Back to Top