Jay H. Lee
Adjunct Professor
Contact Information
Phone: +82.42.350.3926
Fax: +82.42.350.3910
email
Mailing Address
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
291 Daehak-ro
(373-1 Guseong-dong)
Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-701
Republic of Korea
Links
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at KAIST
Jay H. Lee
Education
B.S. 1986, University of Washington
Ph.D. 1991, California Institute of Technology
Research Interests
New Energy Technologies
Bioenergy/Biofuel: With oil prices so volatile, energy generated from biomass for both vehicle fuel and power generation is becoming a major technology focus for the world. The primary rationale for this has been replacement of oil. A second and equally important factor is that biomass-derived fuels are viewed as having an environmentally benign (i.e., carbon-neutral) character, with some even believing their use could be environmentally beneficial. Biomass considered for fuel production include agricultural products and by-products (such as sugar cane or corn stover), wood, grasses (such as switchgrass), and algae. The challenges are the development and improvement of processing techniques, so that biofuels are economically competitive to the traditional fossil-based fuels.
Efficiency Improvement
In addition to developing new energy technologies, the research laboratory addresses the challenges of reducing energy consumption and achieving sustainable energy structures for society's future. Korea recently unveiled an ambitious plan to improve energy efficiency by 28% by Year 2020. We are exploring new technologies to enhance energy efficiency for chemical and other process industries. Other research issues that fall under this challenge include carbon management, combustions, gasification, liquefaction, lighting technologies, power distribution/grid control, sustainability, system design/optimization, and low-energy computing.
Systems and Policies
It is important to provide a holistic picture by assessing energy technologies along with energy/environment policies and economics. In today's society, energy, policy, and economics are inextricably intertwined. Understanding the tradeoffs between energy use and effect on economic prosperity, and how governments regulate the balance is a key factor in determining which technology innovations will succeed and become integrated into the future energy portfolio. Interdisciplinary efforts are needed to analyze and model innovative ways to meet energy demands without negative economic or environmental consequences. Assessments of current and potential energy technologies with an emphasis on innovative adaptation for future use are also critical to sustained economic success. New and renewable energy technologies can be incorporated into the energy mix to enhance and transform current systems as we transition to enabling technologies for a self-sustaining energy economy.