Welcome to your Friday Rundown for the week ending Jan. 12. Feedback is always welcome at info@clearpathaction.org.
RICH: WE NEED “MOONSHOT” ENERGY TECH GOALS AT DOE
ClearPath Executive Director Rich Powell touted the need for “moonshot” clean energy technology goals and private-sector-style management and cooperation, during a Jan. 9 House Energy Subcommittee hearing on modernizing the Department of Energy. “We may not be able to beat China with cranes and concrete, but we can win in high-skilled manufacturing of carbon capturing fuel cells, printable solar panels and modular advanced reactors.”
“But these breakthroughs do not happen overnight,” he added. “The private sector is often ill-positioned to pioneer new and capital-intensive technologies alone. DOE must remain central to America’s clean innovation dominance, linking academic research and commercial products.” RICH’S TESTIMONY
RICH’S OPENING STATEMENT
NUCLEAR, CARBON CAPTURE, STORAGE COULD BENEFIT
In one exchange with Rep. Bill Flores, Rich highlighted grid-scale storage and advanced nuclear and carbon capture technologies as areas that could particularly benefit from moonshot goals.
RICH SPECIFIES MOONSHOT GOALS FOR NUCLEAR, GRID-SCALE STORAGE
U.S. MUST MATCH CHINA’S CLEAN ENERGY COMMITMENT
In response to Rep. Ryan Costello, Rich said the U.S. needs to rival China in its “deep commitment” to advanced energy or risk falling further behind in the global clean energy race. Much of that commitment would be housed at the Department of Energy, including its popular ARPA-E program.
RICH: U.S. MUST MATCH CHINA’S DEEP COMMITMENT
NRC APPROVES SAFETY FEATURE FOR NEXT-GEN DESIGN
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a novel safety approach included in NuScale Power’s next-generation nuclear reactor design. NRC concluded that unlike all existing U.S. nuclear plants, NuScale’s design does not require any emergency back-up power to shut down and ensure safety. This is a key step in the broader review of NuScale’s small modular reactor design certification application that began in March 2017 and is expected to wrap up by September 2020. MORE DETAILS
NEWS NUGGETS
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission unanimously agreed to initiate a new process regarding determining the reliability of the U.S. power grid in response to a Department of Energy’s grid resiliency recommendation partially intended to properly reward nuclear’s role as a clean and reliable power source. FERC stressed that grid resiliency is indeed important and has requested additional information from power grid operators on how to define resilience, how to assess it and recommendations for any future action.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito is back on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Capito is a leading backer of bipartisan legislation that would extend and expand the 45Q carbon capture tax incentive. That bill would fall under the jurisdiction of the Senate Finance Committee, which as of this week will also include 45Q cosponsor Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse.
THE PATH AHEAD
TUESDAYBipartisan Policy Center hosts FERC Commissioners Neil Chatterjee and Cheryl LaFleur on grid resiliency pricing. DETAILS
TUESDAY Senate Energy Committee hearing on International Energy Agency’s global energy outlook. DETAILS
