As a successful National Clean Energy Week wraps, the big thing to remember — bipartisan support for clean energy innovation is as strong as ever.
Plug in: Executive Director Rich Powell spoke at Policy Makers Symposium on a panel entitled, Leveraging U.S. Policy to Reduce Global Emissions, with:
Catrina Rorke of the Climate Leadership Council,
Dustin Meyer of the American Petroleum Institute and
Charles Hernick of CRES.
2. Western Caucus Leading on Clean Energy
As part of National Clean Energy Week wraps, ClearPath Senior Research Director, Spencer Nelson presented findings from a recent report to Members of the House Science, Space & Technology Committee and staff from the House Western Caucus.
What’s clear: To keep emissions dropping, we urgently need policies to get new energy innovations to market.
What the report found: If natural gas prices stay low, because of high load growth, power-sector emissions will stop falling by 2026 and stall through 2050 – leveling at just 4% below where they are today.
We modeled the impact of electric utility decarbonization commitments for the first time – and found that the commitments made so far can avoid this flatline.
Even if utilities nail them, the entire power sector is on pace to emit over a gigaton of CO2 annually by 2050 — a gap we can’t close without more market-friendly policies boosting better technologies, or more utilities establishing targets.
One cheap way to start — maintain existing nuclear reactors.
Exciting new technologies exist, like Form Energy’s iron-air battery.
ClearPath has also partnered with The Conservation Coalition’s Market Environmentalism Academy to educate the next generation of clean energy leaders on energy storage. Watch ClearPath Senior Director for Renewable Energy, Energy Storage, & Advanced Manufacturing Alex Fitzsimmons explain the technology and opportunities in an Energy Storage 101.
4. Mobile Microreactors Make Clean, Reliable Nuclear Energy More Available
Advanced nuclear microreactors are capable of producing 1 to 5 megawatts of power.
What’s clear: The DoD is one of the largest energy users in the world.
Microreactors will help DoD avoid reliance on local electric grids and diesel-fueled generators.
Advanced nuclear power can increase energy security and resilience.
Plug in: The DOD’s Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) along with the DOE are moving forward with the regulatory and permitting steps needed to bring microreactors to military installations. ClearPath’s Senior Program Director, Niko McMurray goes deeper with this piece, on DOD embracing advanced nuclear.
5. ICYMI
The Nuclear Innovation Alliance says deep decarbonization models should show a full range of advanced nuclear capabilities.
More hydropower in New York City could come from new transmission lines, including one from Canada, bringing hydropower.
A group of policymakers, experts, and practitioners convened by the Aspen Institute recently released a report, “Building Cleaner, Faster,” to streamline the environmental review and permitting system in order to build out decarbonization infrastructure with scale, speed, and predictability.
