Unleashing U.S. Energy: Lessons from Iceland

Energy security is a key factor in securing any nation’s economy, and countries like Iceland are taking it to the next level. In under a century, Iceland went from one of the European Union’s poorest economies to one of the wealthiest by utilizing what was already under its feet: an abundance of easily accessible energy, in the form of geothermal and hydropower resources.

L-R: ON Power Representative, Ólafur Elínarson, Luke Bolar, Amanda Sollazzo, Hillary O’Brien, Hali Gruber, Dillyn Carpenter, Andrew Kelley, Ryan Mowrey, Adam Stewart, Kári Valgeirsson, Lucy Sadler, Kiddi Haflidason, Ayla Neumeyer, Alexandra Slocum, Ken Klukowski, Jeremy Harrell, Sara Lind Guðbergsdóttir, Andy Zach, Matt Mailloux, Andrew Fishbein

Iceland has some of the shallowest geologic heat reservoirs in the world and a landmass that is more than 10 percent glaciers. ClearPath’s educational series, the Clean Energy Innovation Academy, explored Iceland’s unique clean energy infrastructure with Congressional staff, learning about real energy projects and cutting-edge innovations. We traveled with 10 U.S. Senate staff to study Iceland’s grid, powered  by 70% hydropower and 30% geothermal energy. Many of Iceland’s geothermal plants are co-located with industrial parks and facilities, a successful model many U.S. energy developers are interested in to power emerging manufacturing facilities or data centers. The educational visit included:

Climeworks’ Mammoth facility, the world’s largest Direct Air Capture (DAC) facility designed to capture up to 36,000 tons of CO₂ a year.

In the 1930s, Iceland made a change from importing oil and coal to meet its electricity and home-heating needs to embracing its own geologic resources by building out geothermal and hydropower capacity. This strategic shift delivered lower energy costs for consumers, highlighting the immense value of harnessing domestically abundant natural resources. They credit low-cost energy for their economic growth. In the same way,  the U.S. can continue to advance and achieve global energy leadership, by investing in drilling technology and next-generation power generation.

The U.S. energy landscape currently features a diverse mix, with significant contributions from natural gas and coal, alongside a growing share from geothermal. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), currently, the U.S. has 4 Gigawatts of geothermal electricity plants in operation, making it the world leader in installed geothermal power capacity. While this is roughly a quarter of the worldwide geothermal capacity, it’s less than 1 percent of our grid. As energy producers and customers look to grow capacity,  the geothermal industry is successfully adapting technologies pioneered by the oil & gas industry to unlock previously inaccessible geothermal power resources in the U.S. 

This existing capacity, combined with our vast untapped potential, provides opportunities for the U.S. to meet rising energy demand. With U.S. electricity demand projected to surge by 35-50% by 2040—the equivalent of adding three Texas-sized grids—the U.S. must pursue an energy strategy that leverages every reliable, baseload power source available. While Iceland operates a nearly 100% renewable grid, the success of that grid is due to the 100% baseload, 24/7 power characteristics of geothermal and hydropower sources. That works for a small nation of approximately 350 thousand citizens. The U.S. – with a population of 350 million – cannot replicate this formula exactly, but we can continue to learn how to utilize all natural resources, like geothermal and hydropower, but also fossil energy and critical mineral resources to meet our growing energy needs and secure America’s future.

The insights gained from Iceland’s proactive approach to harnessing its resources, streamlining processes, and fostering innovation are a look at what’s to come for the U.S. as we seek to meet surging energy demands, diversify our grid, and cement our leadership in critical technologies. 

Powering Up: CCLP Fuels Next-Gen Energy Leaders

For over a decade, ClearPath has advanced clean energy solutions. In a city where people are policy, we envision a future where policymakers have the talent, expertise, and support needed to lead on clean energy. 

To build this next generation of talent, ClearPath launched the ClearPath Conservative Leadership Program (CCLP). Designed to identify, recruit, and place talent across Washington, CCLP is driving forward our mission of accelerating American innovation to reduce global energy emissions. 

The ClearPath Conservative Leadership Program (CCLP) hosted its second annual professional development event for interns, fellows and young professionals interested in clean energy policy. Attendees at “Powering Your Energy Career: Connections and Conversations for Emerging Energy Professionals in Washington” learned from energy policymakers and key stakeholders about clear paths to accelerate their energy careers. 

The event participants engaged in many educational activities related to the energy sector, ranging from a fireside chat with Representative Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) on navigating D.C. and tips for a successful energy career, to an interactive workshop on designing and participating in Congressional hearings.

Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ) and ClearPath advisor Kristen Soltis Anderson

At this event, Rep. Ciscomani, who has consistently championed conservative clean energy policies in Congress, stressed the importance of young people’s involvement in clean energy advocacy. He also spoke about the significance of finding “win-win” policy objectives that benefit both the environment and the U.S. economy.

Participants then worked through a mock Congressional hearing, led by Natalie Houghtalen, Senior Policy Advisor at ClearPath. Congressional hearings play a role in most D.C. careers. This workshop highlighted the complex nature of hearings by allowing attendees to participate in a “mock” hearing from a Member’s or witness’ viewpoint, focusing on issues such as permitting reform, and scaling up clean, firm baseload technologies like nuclear power and next-generation geothermal to meet rising demand. 

Participants during the mock hearing

This simulation provided an excellent opportunity to hone skills beneficial in D.C., and analytical and critical thinking skills that are important at every job. 

Event participants had an opportunity to hear from global leadership consultant Steven Van Cohen, who discussed the best practices to build credibility in professional environments.

(L-R): Kristen Byrne, Executive Director of Government Relations at EEI; Daniel Dziadon, Deputy Chief of Staff for Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK); Molly Ross, Senior Public Affairs Advisor for Holland & Knight; Emily Johnson, Senior Director of External Affairs for ClearPath.

The event concluded with a panel featuring three D.C. professionals with a wealth of experience in energy on and off the Hill. The panelists highlighted that whether pursuing a career on Capitol Hill, in the private sector, or shaping policy, there are many pathways to contribute to an affordable, clean, and reliable energy grid – both in D.C. and beyond.

Each panelist started on Capitol Hill as an intern more than one decade ago, and now, one is at a trade association, one at a lobbying and law practice, and one is a lead staff member on the Hill. From the challenges and rewards of exceeding expectations in a high-stakes environment to the transition to different career stages, the advice imparted by the panelists was inspiring. 

The “Powering Your Energy Career” professional development event has successfully equipped the next generation of clean energy leaders with invaluable insights, practical skills and crucial connections to confidently pursue and continue their careers in the clean energy sector.

The CCLP is designed to identify future leaders, help them develop professionally and find opportunities on Capitol Hill to advance clean energy issues. To keep the United States as the top innovator in clean energy technology while reducing global emissions, the program aims to fill key policy roles on Capitol Hill with savvy, passionate individuals.

If you are on the Hill and your office would benefit from having a ClearPath fellow in your office, reach out to Dana Faught dana@clearpath.org.

Sean Wiesemann is the ClearPath external affairs intern for summer 2025.

Fusion 101

Energy Incentives Will Unlock Energy Dominance (The Washington Times)

This op-ed was originally published by The Washington Times on April 28, 2025. Click here to read the entire piece.

The first 100 days of the new Trump administration have reshaped the energy landscape. Reliable, affordable energy is a top priority as the president seeks to unleash a new era of American energy dominance. Lower energy prices can usher in a true golden age for U.S. consumers. Done well, this agenda can also reduce global carbon dioxide emissions.

This dynamic is underscored by the president’s work to recruit new artificial intelligence and data center investments to the U.S. These investments can lead to economic development and will require rapid energy demand growth when paired with an American manufacturing resurgence, increasing U.S. energy demand by as much as 18% over the next decade, according to data from the North American Electric Reliability Council. Energy prices are one of the most important cost drivers in these energy-intensive industries.

A rapid increase in supply is required to maintain affordable costs for all American consumers. The U.S. must rapidly deploy all types of new American power. To effectively deploy these new technologies at speed, the administration will need to break down permitting barriers to accelerate the buildout of new energy infrastructure like pipelines, transmission, and other grid-enhancing technologies.

In addition to streamlining the permitting process to increase and maximize new investments, minimizing the tax burden on developers is another essential part of this equation. Maintaining low corporate rates is certainly going to help, but tax incentives also play an enormous role in minimizing investment risk and keeping prices low. Fortunately, some key incentives will not require drastic policy changes like the green new deal or a heavy-handed government regulation.

Existing incentives authored or supported by Republicans in Congress under current law are critical for American leadership in new, affordable, 24/7 American power. These forms of power include advanced nuclear, geothermal, hydropower, natural gas with carbon capture, and even new breakthroughs in fusion technology. Key incentives, like 48E/45Y technology-neutral electricity credit; the 45X advanced manufacturing credit; the 45Q carbon capture, utilization, and storage credit; and the 45V hydrogen credit, can reduce the costs for American producers and support the manufacturers and the mineral supply chain across the economy. Simply put, consumer prices go up if the U.S. doesn’t lower the tax and energy cost burden for American producers and manufacturers.

Click here to read the full article

State of Play: The Chemical and Refining Sectors

Modernize, Compete, Win: Upgrading America’s Energy Finance Strategy (The National Interest)

This op-ed was originally published by The National Interest on April 5, 2025. Click here to read the entire piece.

By upgrading its energy finance strategy through smart reforms and strategic investment, the United States can cement its role as the go-to energy partner for the future.

The global energy landscape is changing fast. Countries are scrambling to secure resources, invest in new technologies, and stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market. At the same time, U.S. oil and gas production is booming, artificial intelligence (AI) -driven electricity demand is surging and America remains heavily reliant on foreign critical minerals. Growing instability in key strategic regions and rising competition with China  has increased the stakes for U.S. national security, economic strength and global partnerships.

America needs smart export and development financing policies to maintain global leadership. Agencies like the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the Export-Import Bank of the U.S. (EXIM) are key tools for projecting American energy dominance and pushing back against China’s aggressive, state-funded energy expansion. With both agencies up for reauthorization this Congress, now is the time to modernize their mandates, cut red tape, and give them the support they need to secure U.S. energy leadership on the global stage.

Geopolitical Competition and Energy Security

Although the U.S. leads in key areas, competitors like China and Russia aren’t sitting still. China  has invested nearly $1 trillion into clean energy projects annually while building ninety-four gigawatts of new coal capacity. Meanwhile, China and Russia dominate nuclear fuel and critical mineral supply chains, using predatory financing to lock in energy deals across emerging markets.

The U.S. can’t afford to let its competitors outmaneuver it. By modernizing key federal agencies, Washington can provide nations with competitive alternatives, securing America’s leadership in global energy for decades.

Strengthening U.S. Energy Leadership Through Strategic Financing

If the United States wants to stay ahead in global energy markets and compete with China’s massive state-backed investments, the administration needs to double down on promoting American commercial energy projects abroad. The DFC and EXIM are critical tools for backing American energy innovation and infrastructure, but bureaucracy and outdated policies make them less effective. Their upcoming reauthorizations offer prime opportunities to fix that.

Right now, the DFC makes money for the U.S. taxpayer but can only provide up to $1 billion in loans and only $60 billion in total, compared to China’s nearly unlimited state financing. Raising these caps would allow the United States to fund bigger projects, like nuclear plants and critical minerals infrastructure, that shape the future of energy. In addition, fixing how the federal government’s archaic budget rules affect the DFC is also necessary so it can fully use its resources to help American companies compete globally.bate sectors.

Click here to read the full article

Power Demand Explained: Watts, Gigawatts and the Future of Energy

These days, we hear a lot about the rapid increase in global energy demand due to various factors like growing economies, widespread electrification, and the rise of data centers as AI expands. And it’s true. Here in the United States, after 15 years of static growth, our electricity demand is rising at an accelerated rate. Researchers estimate that by 2030, we will need 20% more energy – a total of 5 million gigawatt-hours of electricity each year.

“5 million gigawatt-hours.” That sounds like a lot. But what does that really mean?

Let’s start with the basics. A watt is a measure of power in an instant. For example, the 60-watt light bulb in your lamp at home requires 60 watts of power to turn on. A Watt-hour is a measurement of that power usage over time.

So, let’s say you turn on your lamp to read a book for two hours, you use 120 watt-hours of electricity. Easy enough.

Now, let’s take a look at a few other examples, going in order from smallest to largest. But first a reminder about unit prefixes: there are one thousand watts in a kilowatt, one million in a megawatt, and one billion in a gigawatt. 

While you’re reading your book, your lamp might only use 120-watt hours of electricity, but the average American household will use 2.4 kilowatt-hours during that time. That’s your lamp, the AC, the TV playing, and so on. Scaling up – with 150 megawatt-hours – you could power 42,000 American households for three hours while they watch a Sunday afternoon football game… or you could use your 150 megawatt-hours to power the NFL stadium itself. In the same amount of time, a large city like Washington D.C. would consume 25 times that much electricity, almost 4 gigawatt hours.

Currently, the U.S. needs around 4 million of these gigawatt-hours a year – again that’s 4 million billion watt-hours – or 4 with 15 zeros after it – and those needs are met with a mixture of 60% fossil fuels, 30% renewables, and 10% nuclear energy. And to get us 20 percent more energy – up to 5 million gigawatt hours a year  – we would need the equivalent of 1,500 Hoover dams in additional generation. That means we are going to need a lot more of ALL of these energy sources to keep up with expected demand.

And, we don’t just need more energy, we need energy that is affordable, reliable and clean. In other words, we need to take a pragmatic, all of the above approach to U.S. energy development. To keep the lights on – at a price that consumers can afford, we need more baseload energy –  the 24/7/ 300 and 65 days a year electricity sources that provide clean power. That means things like advanced nuclear, geothermal, and natural gas with carbon capture.

Ultimately, in order to generate and move all this energy around, we are going to need more than 15,000 new energy projects in this decade alone, and every single one of those projects starts with a permit. Unfortunately today in the United States, you can get a college degree faster than you can get a permit to build a clean energy project. That is why we all must work together to streamline federal permitting processes and unleash American energy. 

ClearPath’s answer to the power demand challenge? It’s time to Let America Build.

The Trump DOE Just Streamlined the Award Process

At a pivotal moment for America’s nuclear future, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reissued a $900 million funding opportunity for the Generation III+ Small Modular Reactor (GEN III+ SMR) Program. As the solicitation details make clear, the Trump DOE is taking major steps to streamline the award process.

The newly released funding opportunity is clear evidence that the Trump administration is ready to move forward with programs that can unlock U.S. energy dominance. When announcing its re-release, DOE Secretary Chris Wright was abundantly clear: “America’s nuclear energy renaissance starts now.”

Public-private partnerships, including this program and the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP), are crucial for delivering reliable nuclear power to meet growing energy needs and strengthen energy security. The revised solicitation aligns with existing policy proposals that prioritize de-risking early projects, aiming to bolster order books for new nuclear projects.

Funded by Congress through 2024 appropriations, the GEN III+ SMR program will support up to two awardees to deploy an SMR to facilitate a multi-reactor order book, long a priority for House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee Chair Rep. Fleischmann (R-TN).

The Trump administration announced significant updates to the solicitation to advance its policy goal of unleashing American energy. This includes removing unnecessary requirements implemented by the Biden administration that were unrelated to the technical and economic success of innovative projects, like mandatory community benefit plans and Justice40 requirements from both the application and evaluation criteria.

These actions are aligned with the proposal ClearPath published last year to Modernize the U.S. Department of Energy. The changes to the re-released FOAs signify a renewed focus on technical merit and removing application components that unnecessarily complicate the process.

The original solicitation issued by the Biden administration placed significant emphasis on mandatory community benefit plans, with some programs weighing these factors as much as 20% in the final evaluation criteria. While community engagement remains an important consideration for long-term project viability, assigning such a high weight to non-technical factors created an unnecessary hurdle for many applicants, especially smaller firms and first-time participants in DOE programs.

The revised solicitation prioritizes four policy factors, weighing them equally to assess the applicant’s ability to deliver a safe, technically sound and commercially viable SMR project. These adjustments represent the kind of streamlined, outcome-driven policymaking the DOE should continue applying across other funding initiatives. 

With these changes incorporated, the Trump administration can further streamline the award negotiation process by adhering to strict award negotiation timelines and accelerating permitting reviews for demonstration projects. Incorporating clear and consistent award criteria across all DOE offices will benefit all types of applicants and remedy the years-long contracting process that plagued the Biden administration. Similarly, DOE should treat demonstration project permits the same way it treats earlier-stage research and development (R&D) by adding demonstration activities to the existing categorical exclusion from NEPA reviews. ClearPath previously illustrated these opportunities as ways to Make America’s Largest Clean Energy Investor More Efficient.

As electricity demand grows and the U.S. seeks reliable and clean energy sources, SMRs offer a promising solution. DOE’s updated approach puts these projects on firmer footing and if applied more broadly, could serve as a blueprint for how the DOE accelerates innovation across the board. This reissued solicitation aligns with a more disciplined, deployment-first strategy. It reduces unnecessary red tape and better reflects the DOE’s core mission – to accelerate transformative energy technologies out of the lab and to the market.

Also contributing to this blog was our Policy Intern, John Van Fossen.

Carbon Capture Regulations Must Match Pace of Innovation (RealClear Energy)

This op-ed was originally published by RealClear Energy on December 9, 2024. Click here to read the entire piece.

Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies are often described – on both sides of the aisle – as a central pillar of America’s clean energy future. They can help solve for global energy emissions and decarbonize hard-to-abate industries, all while reinforcing U.S. energy independence and growing our economy. And yet, despite decades of investment in American CCUS innovation, an out of date regulatory bottleneck at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to hold back the full deployment of these critical technologies.

The broad appeal of CCUS stems from its ability to address environmental concerns while working within our existing power system, particularly in regions where heavy industry dominates. For example, the production of cement, steel, and chemicals account for almost 70% of direct CO2 emissions from industry worldwide, and these industries require access to abundant baseload power to get the job done – they cannot rely on renewable energy alone. According to the Global CCS Institute, over 40% of projects in the global CCS pipeline are in these hard-to-abate sectors.

It’s no wonder that CCUS is bipartisan: the George W. Bush administration laid the groundwork for advancing carbon capture technology through initiatives like the Global Climate Change Initiative (GCCI), the Obama administration built upon these investments with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Trump administration provided updated direction for CCUS R&D in the Energy Act of 2020 and enhanced and extended the 45Q tax credit to make CCUS projects more economically viable – not once but twice. Most recently, the Biden Administration invested billions in American CCUS through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.

In addition to these decades of federal investments, the U.S. also possesses world-class geological resources and technical expertise to store CO2 permanently underground at the scale developers need. While we currently lead the world in this technology, and major U.S. energy companies are looking to invest billions of dollars to maintain this leadership role, other countries are ramping up too – and closing the gap.

Click here to read the full article

Cement and Concrete Innovation Unleashed

Did you know that concrete is the second-most used material on Earth after water? Cement and concrete are all around us, and humans have been using them for over 2,000 years to build houses, monuments, and bridges. Concrete is essential to building due to its strength, low cost, and abundance.

Together, cement and concrete contribute up to 8% of global emissions. Because developing countries are rapidly building infrastructure, by 2050, cement and concrete emissions are expected to exceed the amount of emissions from all the cars on the road today.

Before we dive in, let’s clear up one thing. People often think concrete and cement are the same. But they’re not! So what’s the difference? Cement is the glue that binds together rocks, sand, and water to make concrete. Concrete is the final material used in buildings and infrastructure. This video will focus on Portland cement, the most widely used type of cement, and the industry standard. 

So, where do these emissions come from?Cement is made by baking limestone at extremely high temperatures to produce a material called clinker. Clinker is then mixed with other rocks and processed to make cement. Burning fuels to create these high temperatures generates roughly 40% of emissions. And then baking limestone, which contains carbon, releases CO2 into the atmosphere through an unavoidable chemical process that produces the remaining 60% of emissions.

Fortunately, new and existing producers in the U.S have been hard at work to reduce these emissions. 

One exciting technology is carbon capture and storage, or CCS for short. We expect it to be responsible for one-third of all emissions reductions by 2050. CCS systems can be retrofitted to existing cement facilities or built into new ones to capture, transport and then store CO2 safely underground. For example, Heidelberg Materials North America, a leading building materials company based in Irving, Texas, announced in August 2024 plans for carbon capture at its Mitchell, Indiana cement plant. The Mitchell plant is one of two U.S. facilities that received $500 million from the Department of Energy to install CCS. Combined, these two projects aim to avoid almost 3 million tons of CO2 emissions a year. That is roughly equal to the emissions from 650,000 cars. Utilizing CCS allows the industry to keep using Portland cement and preserves American manufacturing jobs, all while reducing emissions. 

The second exciting innovation is alternative cement chemistries. American companies are finding ways to produce cement with almost no emissions. Two of them, Brimstone and Sublime Systems, have come up with their own unique processes to replace limestone with other rocks and use technologies, such as electro-chemistry, to make safe, industry-compliant cement. In September 2024, existing producers Holcim and CRH announced a combined $75 million investment to scale up Sublime Systems’ cement manufacturing technology. Together, Sublime Systems and Brimstone have received over $276 million in DOE funding to bring their first commercial plants online. 

More policy support is needed to boost American innovation, unleash private-sector jobs and build a lot more. Through consistent policy support for American ingenuity and streamlined regulations to allow the use of low-carbon materials, the U.S. is set to enter a clean manufacturing revolution in cement and concrete production.

So let’s get building.