An interview with Energy Secretary Steven Chu

NPR : Steven Chu is an optimist. The secretary of energy, who won a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997, believes science can solve many of the nation’s energy challenges."Scientists by their nature are very optimistic,” he said. “We learn about Newton, about Maxwell, about Einstein. And yet you want to do some science that can contribute on the shoulders of those giants—you’ve got to be pretty optimistic."That doesn’t mean I’m a cockeyed optimist,” he cautioned. “You’ve still got to come up with the goods."Chu knows cleaner coal, new nuclear power plants, more renewable energy will take time. In a conversation with NPR’s Steve Inskeep, he lays out ambitious plans for the country’s energy future.