1

Energy Secretary Steven Chu is resigning from the post he held for the past four years. It had been widely speculated for months that he would be among the Obama administration's Cabinet to leave at the conclusion of the first term.

Quoted in Politico, Chu said "In the short term, I plan to stay on as secretary past the ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy) Summit at the end of February. I may stay beyond that time so that I can leave the department in the hands of the new secretary."

"Secretary Chu presided over a vast expansion of renewable energy and cleaner-burning natural gas, and he did a lot of good in his time at the Department of Energy," Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) said. “Certainly in terms of pure intellectual horsepower, Secretary Chu will be a tough act to follow.

As President Obama looks at potential successors, I hope he keeps in mind the importance of encouraging innovation in new energy technologies, safeguarding taxpayer dollars and continuing the manufacturing revival spurred by stable natural gas supplies,” Wyden continued.

Chu said he and his wife wanted to return to California where he plans to resume a life of teaching and research. He came to DOE as a Nobel Prize-winning scientist and former national laboratory director.

Chu has been credited with a number of accomplishments during his tenure, such as using stimulus money to get ARPA-E up and running and pushing for a variety of programs intended to support innovations and commercialization of advanced technologies in renewable energy, efficiency, vehicles and other areas.

But he also was harshly criticized by Republicans in Congress for the bankruptcy of solar company Solyndra in 2011 after it had won a $535 million loan guarantee through stimulus funds, as well as for other loan and grant recipients that went belly up. Of course, the loan program also was responsible for some of the world's largest solar projects and major wind farms on both coasts.

Along with the speculation that Chu would leave has been further speculation regarding his successor. The Politico article said buzz in Washington is focusing on a likely list of candidates including North Dakota Sen. Byron Dorgan, former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and former Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire. Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter's name also has been thrown into the hat recently, as have others.

Smart Grid News posted a discussion forum earlier this month on the speculation about Chu. If you have thoughts on Chu's resignation or the type of leader needed to replace him, please click on the link to share them.