Alex Fitzsimmons
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Alex Fitzsimmons is a Senior Program Director at ClearPath. He works across ClearPath’s clean energy technology portfolio, with a focus on energy storage, renewable energy technologies, advanced manufacturing and critical minerals. Previously, Alex served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency at the U.S. Department of Energy. In this role, Alex led diverse programs and an R&D portfolio that included advanced manufacturing, building technologies, federal energy management, and intergovernmental partnerships. Prior to that, Alex served as Chief of Staff for DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, where he led strategic planning, policy, and communications across a broad clean energy portfolio.
B.A. from George Washington University; M.S. Candidate from Georgia Institute of Technology
Energy Storage, Renewable Energy, Advanced Manufacturing and Critical Minerals Policy
As DOE prepares to issue funding opportunities in the coming weeks and months, ClearPath has developed a series of memos with recommendations for implementing the IIJA demonstration projects. Each of these memos includes similar principles related to rigorous milestones and responsible stewardship, but each also includes unique recommendations tailored to specific technologies.
As war in Europe underscores the importance of secure energy supply chains, some good news from Nevada shows how the United States can boost domestic supplies of critical minerals and reduce dependence on foreign adversaries. Success hinges on the federal government’s capacity to unleash private-sector innovation, not restrict it.
The U.S. is import-reliant for 31 of 35 critical minerals and has no domestic production for 14 of those minerals. Rising demand for minerals will place major stress on global supply chains and undermine America’s ability to deploy more clean energy. By doubling down on technology innovation and permitting reform, the U.S. can take major strides toward more secure and reliable clean energy supply chains.
A Massachusetts-based company called Form Energy recently unveiled the details of its much anticipated, multi-day energy storage system, a technology that’s been known for decades but never truly commercialized: iron-air batteries.
Bipartisan support for energy storage innovation is strong and growing. On July 14, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the launch of “Long Duration Storage Shot,” part of DOE’s new “Energy Earthshots Initiative” to accelerate breakthrough energy technologies.
Pumped storage hydropower – though with recent policy and project developments, pumped storage may finally start to get the credit it deserves.