In the News
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July 5, 2013: Executive Director Vikram Rao is cited in the The Energy Collective, an energy and climate think tank. Check it out here.
May 3, 2013: The News & Observer mentions Dr. Rao in “Fracking chemical rule sent back for revisions.” Dr. Rao currently serves on the N.C. Mining & Energy Commission.
March 7, 2013: In NC fracking panel suggests wastewater could be used for irrigation, the News & Observer cites Dr. Rao in the current debate of the uses of wastewater.
March 3, 2013: Dr. Rao is quoted as an authority in the recent N&O article, Tracers may ease public’s fracking fears.
February 8, 2013: BusinessWire refers to Dr. Rao’s book, Shale Gas: The Promise and the Peril, as an indicator of future gas prices.
January 18, 2013: Dr. Rao is interviewed on his book by the Carolina Journal. Rao discusses hydraulic fracturing for shale gas during a conversation with Mitch Kokai.
October 2012: Dr. Rao is featured in the Journal of Petroleum Technology. He writes a guest blog entitled Getting Beyond Gasland.
August 30, 2012: Natural Gas Europe features Dr. Rao’s editorial Sustainable Shale Gas Production is feasible on their website.
August 27, 2012: In N&O article, Chemical trade group predicts 15,000 jobs in NC from natural gas, Dr. Rao is quoted.
Shale gas has the potential to transform the U.S. energy-based economy in the electricity, transportation, and chemical sectors. In a book published by RTI Press, Vikram Rao addresses the issues surrounding shale gas in a balanced fashion. Tailored for a nontechnical audience—with technical chemistry and geology information couched in sidebars—the book culminates in suggestions for research and guidance for policymaking.
March 27, 2012: Executive Director Vikram Rao, speaks on a Natural Gas and the Transportation Sector Panel at the Methanol Policy Forum in Washington D.C. The Methanol Policy Forum 2012 is a first-of-its-kind conference in Washington, D.C. bringing together industry leaders, energy policy experts, executive branch staff, Members of Congress, academics and the media to share information about methanol’s potential as a liquid transportation fuel. The conference will highlight: market trends and pricing; the potential of natural gas, coal, renewable, and other resources to serve as methanol feedstocks; global vehicle technology and methanol fuel deployment; and public policy drivers. Check out Dr. Rao speaking on the panel here!
March 22, 2012: News & Observer quotes Dr. Rao in “Fracking: focus on the water“
September 13, 2011: Greentech Media quotes Dr. Rao in “Natural Gas: Boom or Bust.” 
June 21, 2011: “Hydrofracking in North Carolina” aired on Open/Net featuring Dr. Rao as a panelist together with Prof. Rob Jackson of Duke University and Dr. Ken Taylor of Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
June 2011: Dr. Rao contributes an article to The American Oil & Gas Reporter, “Gas Positioned To Displace Coal Plants.”
May 11, 2011: “Despite the dangers of fracking, North Carolina lawmakers want to legalize it,” from the Independent Weekly features Dr. Rao’s views on fracking.
March 18, 2011: Executive Director Vik Rao recently quoted in Charlotte, N.C. based, North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, about fracking.
February 26th, 2011: The Science Show aired by ABC Radio of Australia interviews our executive director, Vik Rao, during the AAAS Annual Meeting.
February 6th, 2011: Executive Director Vik Rao quoted in The Desert Sun regarding the Clean-Tech Investor Summit.
February 2nd, 2011: Greentech Media quotes Executive Director Rao about shale gas.
January 27th, 2011: Executive Director Rao quoted in Greentech Media discussing natural gas and renewables.
October 7th, 2010: Barbara Entwisle, director of the Carolina Population Center and Kenan Distinguished Professor of Sociology at UNC- Chapel Hill joins RTEC’s Board of Governors.
June 9th, 2010: Director Vikram Rao was invited by Hart’s E&P to write for Ax to Grind, a column where guests give their opinions on Oil and Gas issues. Dr. Rao suggests that joint industry action is the best form of defense. Read the full post here: [Deepwater wells need one more line of defense]
June 3, 2010: The North Carolina Solar Center at NC State University awarded money to reduce transportation-related emissions in North Carolina counties that do not meet ambient air quality standards. [Funding Set to Reduce Transportation Emissions]
March 30, 2010: Nissan Delivers Affordable Solutions for Purchase, Lease of All-Electric Nissan LEAF [Read Press Release Here]
March 5th, 2010: See Executive Director, Vikram Rao, speaking at the Raleigh Grand Challenge on Energy Issues. [here]
January 11, 2010: Nissan North America Selects AeroVironment to Install Home-Charging Stations for Nissan LEAF [Read Press Release Here]
May 21st, 2009: Chevy Volt to come to Raleigh at expo sponsored by RTEC. [Forget Prius. Volt is coming to Raleigh]
January 9th, 2009: From the Triangle Business Journal: NCSU, UNC, Duke, RTI unite to tackle energy challenge
September 30, 2008: Former Halliburton CTO Dr. Vikram Rao Joins Research Triangle Energy Consortium as Executive Director
Rao will lead efforts to further strengthen RTEC, an organization which integrates existing energy research programs at Duke University, NC State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and RTI International, and develops new multi-unit initiatives.
December 12, 2007: New Research Seeks to Develop Low-Cost Ethanol from Biomass, Organic Materials
Researchers at RTI International, North Carolina State University and the University of Utah are seeking to scale up proven laboratory technology that they believe will produce low-cost ethanol fuel through the gasification of biomass and other organic waste products. The project, funded by a $2 million cost-shared contract with the U.S. Department of Energy, seeks to develop non-food-based ethanol that costs less than $1.10 per gallon produced from lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks.
December 4, 2007: RTI-Lead Team Receives Up to $2M for Biofuels Project
Researchers at RTI International will receive up to $2 million from the U.S. Department of Energy for a new biofuels project that its backers believe could be a breakthrough on multiple fronts in developing alternative fuels. Working with North Carolina State University and Utah University, the RTI research team aims to further refine technology that turns biomass into ethanol.
November 15, 2007: New Triangle Consortium to Focus on Energy
Researchers at three Triangle universities and RTI International are pooling resources for energy research ranging from new sources to improved efficiency and lessen environmental impact. The Research Triangle Energy Consortium, or RTEC, includes Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State as well as RTI.
November 13, 2007: Triangle Universities, RTI International Join to Form Energy Consortium
Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and RTI International have joined to form the Research Triangle Energy Consortium (RTEC), combining their research strengths to focus on “solving the technical, environmental, economic, societal, and public policy problems related to the use of energy,” according to the operating agreement.
“We can do things together that we cannot do individually,” said David Myers, vice president of engineering and technology at RTI International. “By combining our strengths in energy research, we can tackle the most complex energy problems.”
Research Triangle Energy Consortium 