Posted on August 15, 2024 by Amanda Sollazzo and Dillyn Carpenter
To maintain American energy independence, reduce emissions and meet growing electricity demand, it is critical the U.S. leads in the development and deployment of innovative technologies. Exciting companies deploying nuclear fission and fusion, carbon capture and storage, carbon dioxide removal (CDR), hydropower and long-duration energy storage are all on display in the Northwestern U.S., making the region a perfect location for ClearPath’s third Clean Energy Innovation Academy (CEIA) trip for Congressional staff. CEIA, launched in 2020, is an ongoing educational series for Congressional staff focused on conservative clean energy technology and policy.
From Left to Right: Dr. Steven Ashby, Chrissy Harbin, Luke Bolar, Luisa Smith, Jake Kincer, Amanda Sollazzo, Eric Gustafson, Molly Ross, Jeremy Harrell, Emily Johnson, Dillyn Carpenter, Stacey Daniels, Ryan Mowrey, Ashley Higgins, Brian Hughes, Savvy Bowman, Dr. Jud Virden
ClearPath, along with eight Senate staff, consisting of legislative and communications staff who work for Members of the Appropriations, Energy and Natural Resources, Environment and Public Works, and Finance Committees were able to visit companies and research facilities working on nuclear fission and fusion energy, long duration energy storage, carbon capture and utilization, energy analytics and marine carbon dioxide removal.
“Being able to see firsthand how the policies we work on, on Capitol Hill, translate to people on the ground was really impactful. The trip highlighted how important it is to maintain relationships with stakeholders who are charged with providing affordable and reliable energy while ensuring the U.S. remains a leader in energy production, research, and environmental stewardship,” said Ashley Higgins, Senior Energy Policy Advisor. “Whether it’s actual power being generated like we saw at Energy Northwest or the research being done at our National Labs to produce the technologies of the future, it’s clear that we need more of all types of energy to meet current and future demand.”
The Delegation visited the Control Room Simulator at Energy Northwest’s Columbia Generating Station
The delegation toured Energy Northwest’s Columbia Generating Station in Richland, WA — a world-class nuclear power plant that has been providing reliable baseload power to the region since 1984 and the third largest electricity generator in the state. Staff were able to visit the control room simulator, the turbine building, and reactor building which houses the boiling water reactor and spent fuel pool. Energy Northwest’s CEO, Bob Schuetz, shared their future plans for the facility, including the re-licensing process and the exciting partnership with X-energy to bring an advanced small modular reactor to the Richland site.
The Grid Storage Launchpad at PNNL is a state of the art facility conducting research on energy storage and battery technologies.
The delegation also toured the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, one of seventeen Department of Energy national labs. PNNL is an excellent model for public-private partnerships to help bring new technologies to commercialization. Some highlights include the Carbon Capture & Utilization labs, the Electricity Infrastructure Operations Center, the Applied Engineering/Advanced Manufacturing lab and the Grid Storage Launchpad. The latter was completed in 2024 and is advancing the next generation of energy storage and battery technologies. PNNL Lab Director Dr. Steven Ashby, Associate Director Dr. Jud Virden, Executive Director of Communications and Engagement Jaime Shimek, and other key lab leadership were part of the visit.
PNNL’s Marine Science Lab showcases next generation technology to the delegation.
The delegation then visited PNNL’s Marine Science Laboratory in Sequim, WA, the only marine sciences research facility in the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Lab system. Notably, PNNL is partnering with Marine CDR company Ebb Carbon who captures CO2 in the ocean while also reducing ocean acidity. The PNNL and Ebb Carbon public-private partnership demonstrates the ways that our National Labs work with private industry to research, develop and demonstrate cutting-edge technologies.
The delegation at Helion Energy headquarters in Everett, WA.
The tour concluded with a tour of Helion Energy in the manufacturing hub of Everett, WA. Helion is designing the world’s first fusion power plant and working to demonstrate electricity while scaling up in-house domestic manufacturing to eliminate reliance on international suppliers like China. The Senate delegation saw both the sixth-generation prototype, Trenta, and the construction progress of the seventh-generation prototype, Polaris. Helion believes their fusion technology can lead to the eventual construction of so many power plants that they are referred to by numbers instead of individual names.
In addition to the site visits, the delegation met with representatives from private sector companies Framatome, Stripe, Omya, TerraPower, Twelve and Avalanche Energy, who have operations in Washington State. The topics ranged from the growing trend of bringing clean energy supply chains to the United States, how America has become a CDR innovation hub and the latest advancements in clean energy technologies moving towards commercialization.
ClearPath looks forward to expanding its Clean Energy Innovation Academy later this year and in 2025 to learn about more clean energy innovation technologies and the policies that will help them succeed.
