Consortium on Energy Research associated with the U.N. University, deeply concerned with this field. 3. It has a near-billion AoWm Alaska Energy Authority, with statutory responsibility, funding and imaginative leadership developing a master-plan on energy for a state three times the size of Texas, with world-class resources and a population of 550,000. 4. With energy sources (hydro, geothermal, coal, oil, etc.) located throughout the state, and villages scattered in remote sites throughout the region, there is an ideal set-up for testing energy transmission. 5. The University of Alaska’s Geophysical Institute, headed by Dr. Syun-Ichi Akasofu, has long been associated with study of the Aurora Borealis and the energy fields of the Arctic region. Their space probes and research over four decades provide a significant scientific backdrop for explorations in energy fields and transmission in the region. 6. The state Legislature and Governor have just established the Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation, designed for commercialization of space, satellite launching and allied fields with interest in the area. 7. Early discussions with Dr. Glaser, Arthur D. Little, Raytheon, the U.S. Department of Energy, Texas A&M research team, and the Alaska Energy Authority have focused on the parameters of a reconnaissance feasibility study in an Alaskan site. 8. A meeting of the principals will assemble in Juneau, Alaska, 11 June, 1992, for a strategic planning session on next steps. The convergence of these interests and resources will help to focus and advance our knowledge and practice in energy transmission, calling on state-of-the-art science and technology, the laboratory of experimentation that is Alaska, and a political will to make things happen. We need to know what is possible, what vulnerabilities or risks may be involved, and what is financially and humanly feasible, as the world assembles in Rio to address how the gap between environment and development, rich and poor, can be bridged and improved. If we can find a way to bring cheap energy safely and economically from where it lies in abundance to where it is needed critically, a giant step for mankind can be taken. We hope Alaska may make its contribution to this quantum leap. We enlist the interest of all those concerned with such a prospect.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTU5NjU0Mg==