The following presentation and manuscript (links below) were prepared at the request of the Office of Honorable Al Gore & Mrs. Tipper Gore for presentation at a 'Solutions Summit' panel on ‘Nanotechnology and New Materials’ held May 1, 2008 in New York City.

The roundtable was chaired by the former Vice President as part of a broader discussion about solutions for the climate crisis.  He believes, and do I, we have only a limited time to solve this planetary emergency.  The discussions themselves were off the record but Mr. Gore is preparing a new solutions-oriented book.  I have opted to make my own contribution public.  It was a rare privilege for me to participate.

Many people in the thermoelectric community graciously contributed ideas and graphics for this effort.  Where I have included citations, please respect the original authors intellectual property rights.  Also keep in mind that those cited need not (and many do not) share my opinions or conclusions on the subject.  But as Robert Park might say, they should.

I am distributing these materials that they may stimulate some discussion and I welcome comments.  The full paper is available below.

Responses are welcome and I will make space available on my website for any reasonable comments.  As always, you can reach me through this website's Contact Form

Climate Crisis & Science Priorities:

A Case Study on Thermoelectric Technology

A Colloquium Energy Research Initiative 

University of Rochester

June 10, 2009

Cronin B. Vining 

Auburn, AL

cvining2009@cvining.com