Spencer Nelson
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Biography
Spencer Nelson is Senior Research Director at ClearPath. He leads ClearPath’s research on the cheapest path to energy system decarbonization. Spencer works with industry, national labs and other stakeholders to develop insights that guide both ClearPath’s work and broader carbon mitigation advocacy efforts.
Prior to this role, Spencer worked for Chairman Lisa Murkowski on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where he was the lead on all the Committee’s clean energy and climate activities. He was a lead architect of the Energy Act of 2020, which is the first comprehensive energy legislation enacted in over a decade and comprises over 40 different clean energy bills.
Before his stint on the Hill, Spencer worked at ClearPath for four years during which he held multiple roles. Most significantly, he managed ClearPath’s work on nuclear energy, energy innovation, and international engagement as a Policy Program Director.
Before that, Spencer worked on state-level solar policy and conducted environmental genetics research at both UNC Chapel Hill and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Education
B.S. in Energy and Sustainability from UNC Chapel Hill, B.S. in Quantitative Biology from UNC Chapel Hill
Area of Expertise
Energy Innovation, Decarbonization, Energy Analysis
Featured Content from Spencer
American innovation is driving down the cost of emerging storage technologies, including advanced batteries, thermal storage, and hydrogen. But the largest source of energy storage is also the most overlooked: pumped storage hydropower – though with recent policy and project developments, pumped storage may finally start to get the credit it deserves.
Congress recently passed one of the biggest advancements in clean energy and climate policy in over a decade – the monumental Energy Act of 2020. Tucked away in the 5,000 page end of year omnibus was a wholly bipartisan, clean energy innovation roadmap.
The domestic nuclear fleet is vital for both mitigating climate change and supporting the U.S. economy. By finding innovative ways to use current and future nuclear reactors, we can leverage our existing infrastructure to decarbonize and add millions to the U.S. economy.
The components to build a successful supply chain for American lithium and energy storage exist: lithium reserves, a capable workforce, domestic demand, and economic power. Yet to successfully link these components, the U.S. must strategically tackle the web of factors that a battery faces on its journey around the globe and into your pocket.
How nuclear fuel is created and deployed is complex and often misunderstood; this article provides a high-level, broad explanation of how low enriched uranium nuclear fuel is currently made and a short introduction to innovative fuel alternatives.
In a break from our regularly scheduled programming, we wanted to highlight some hidden innovation gems being researched at the Department of Energy that could prove to be just as critical in expanding a reliable and clean power sector.
