Assistant Secretary Karsner Encourages Silicon Valley to Invest in Renewables

Assistant Secretary of Energy Andy Karsner made a swing through Silicon Valley to encourage investment in renewable technologies such as solar, plug-in hybrids, and other technologies. Karsner met with the Hon. George Schultz at the Hoover Institute to brief the former Secretary of State on advances in renewable energy and to advise him on the work and partnerships that the office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the Administration are undertaking to advance the commercialization of new technologies. "It was an honor to speak with Secretary Schultz, his experience and breadth of knowledge on renewable energy is an important resource for our nation," Karsner said. During his Silicon Valley meetings, Karsner discussed market introduction of plug-in hybrid vehicles with leaders of the industry, who have some 10,000 soft orders of these cars as interest in this technology is high and rising. Other meetings included dialogues with leading venture capital firms, members of the educational community, and technology industry pioneers.