An official from Duke Energy will give a presentation at Ball State University about energy use in America on Friday.
Jim Turner, Group Executive President and Chief Operating Officer, U.S. Franchised Electric and Gas, at Duke Energy will address how to develop a more cost-efficient system for energy use.
Turner was born and raised in Muncie and graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science from Ball State.
Turner's secretary Suzie Adams said the speech is geared toward redefining America's energy future, as a spin off Ball State's logo "Education Redefined." Major speaking points will include a smart grid utility control system, climate change, energy efficiency and energy conservation.
Director of University Communications Kevin Burke said President Jo Ann Gora knew Turner to be a professional in the field of energy use and consumption, and she invited him to speak as an Executive-in-Residence.
Susan Miller, secretary to the dean of the College of Sciences and Humanities, said students and community members are welcome to attend. She said Turner's presentation will tie into Ball State's efforts with geothermal heating.
"Ball State is leading the nation in geothermal heating, on college campuses anyway," Miller said.
The smart grid is a major talking point for Turner, Adams said.
"The electric grid that moves electricity across America has not changed for the last 100 years, but there are ways to make it smarter," Adams said. "Users can interact with the utility and control their energy use."
She compared the smart grid to online billing, saying that people can adjust their energy usage online.
"It's about making energy use interactive," she said. "Customers don't think about energy use day in and day out until they get a bill or their power goes out."
Adams said, for example, people might want to adjust the settings on their appliances that aren't being used when they are out of the house.
Turner will visit the Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry on Friday morning and speak with students in an immersive learning program before giving his presentation, Miller said.
She said Turner has various ties to the university besides graduating as a political science major. His wife is also a Ball State undergraduate, and his mother is a retired employee of Bracken Library.
Adams said students should be interested in the presentation because it addresses issues of the day.
"America's energy future is something that affects everybody," she said.
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