Tech 101 | ClearPath

Clean and reliable baseload power is really important. And really complicated. But don’t worry, we have you covered. Our Tech 101 series is designed to assist even the busiest layperson in gaining an elementary grasp of the byzantine world of conservative clean energy. Want to dig in even more? Check this space for upcoming Tech 201, 301 and more advanced content that can take you further towards becoming a true expert.

Learn more about ClearPath’s premiere educational program, the Clean Energy Innovation Academy, in partnership with the Clean Energy Leadership Institute.

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Agriculture

Carbon Capture

Carbon Dioxide Removal

Cement and Concrete

Energy Storage

Geothermal

Hydro

Hydrogen

Innovation

Natural Gas

Nuclear

Steel

Carbon Dioxide Pipelines 101

Posted on March 13, 2025 by Kelsey Grant

Pipelines are critical infrastructures that move essential resources, such as water, oil, natural gas and other materials, from where they are produced or gathered to locations where they can be used or stored. Pipelines are everywhere. They are found beneath our highways, through our cities and communities.

Carbon Capture,Direct Air Capture

Coastal Blue Carbon 101

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Jasmine Yu and Jake Marrs

Blue carbon is the term used to describe the “watery” nature of carbon captured by the ocean and coastal ecosystems. Coastal blue carbon ecosystems refer to biomass-based coastal habitats, such as salt marshes, mangroves and seagrass meadows, that store carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.

Carbon Dioxide Removal

Advanced Nuclear Fuel 201

Posted on May 30, 2024 by Matthew Mailloux

Congratulations! If you have read our Nuclear Fuel 101, you are already well on your way to understanding the importance of the nuclear fuel supply chain. This second installation goes a bit further, discussing what happens after fuel is used, innovations in nuclear fuel and why new types of fuel are important for new reactor designs.

Posted on April 17, 2024 by Emma Quigg

Hydrogen is the smallest atom in the universe. Yet, this tiny molecule has enormous potential to unlock some of our most significant energy challenges – electricity grid resilience, energy storage and industrial decarbonization.

Hydrogen,Innovation

Fertilizer Innovations 101

Posted on April 11, 2024 by Jasmine Yu and Chloe Binford

Today, the U.S. continues to lead the world in finding new ways to enhance agricultural productivity and efficiency while producing clean and reliable ammonia for fertilizer production and reducing agricultural sector emissions.

Agriculture,Innovation

Nuclear Fuel 101

Posted on January 17, 2024 by Natalie Houghtalen

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.

Agricultural Innovation 101

Posted on November 28, 2023 by Jasmine Yu

The U.S. agricultural sector is due for innovations and new cutting-edge practices and technologies that can increase productivity and continue feeding the world, while lowering global emissions. Technology and innovative practices developed back in the mid-20th century are still being used today.

Agriculture,Innovation

Ocean CDR Permitting and Regulations 101

The ocean is a promising tool for carbon dioxide removal (CDR). It covers over 70% of the surface area of the planet, holds about 50 times more carbon than the atmosphere, and can store carbon for millennia at its deepest depths.

Carbon Dioxide Removal,Innovation

Biomass Hybrid CDR Solutions 101

American ingenuity in the hybrid CDR space has come a long way in the form of government-funded research endeavors, multiple U.S.-based start-ups in the field and legislative action. Hybrid CDR solutions have a promising role in the diverse set of high-quality CDR solutions for achieving global net-zero goals.

Carbon Dioxide Removal,Innovation

Pore Space 101: Carbon Capture Can’t Rock and Roll Without Storage

Posted on July 28, 2022 by Grant Cummings

Clarifying ownership of federal pore space brings the U.S. one step closer to having a complete CCUS regulatory framework, which will provide the private sector with much-needed regulatory certainty for these projects to be successful.

Carbon Capture,Innovation

Carbon Dioxide Removal 101

Carbon, the sixth most abundant element found on Earth, can be released into our atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2) and is the foundation of all life. So, how do we get rid of the CO₂ already in the atmosphere? Fortunately, there are multiple carbon dioxide removal (CDR) solutions.

Carbon Dioxide Removal,Innovation

America’s Energy Storage Workhorse, Pumped Hydro, at the Races Once Again

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Alex Fitzsimmons

Pumped storage hydropower – though with recent policy and project developments, pumped storage may finally start to get the credit it deserves.

Hydro,Innovation

Metals are an integral part of our society. Ranging from basic steels to high-performance alloys, metals are a necessary resource in transporting electricity on the grid, constructing buildings, producing everyday kitchen and household items, creating bridges and tunnels, and building trains, cars and even planes.

Innovation,Steel

Cement and Concrete 101

Posted on February 22, 2021 by Justin Ong

Since the Roman Empire, cement and concrete have been used as a building block of societies. Today, concrete is the most used man-made material on the planet, used in everything from roads to buildings and more.

Cement and Concrete,Innovation

Integrated Energy Systems: Getting More From Our Nuclear Workhorses

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Cameron Tarry

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.

Innovation,Nuclear

Introduction To Hydropower

Posted on August 11, 2020 by Cameron Tarry, Connie Lausten and Faith Martinez Smith

Harnessing water for beneficial uses has existed for centuries. Ancient Greeks and Romans used water in ways similar to industrial processes today – for grinding wheat, agriculture via aqueducts, and medicinal purposes. Modern hydropower or hydroelectric power has been utilized for over one hundred years and remains a clean, reliable electricity asset.

Hydro,Innovation

Supply Chain for Lithium and Critical Minerals Is … Critical

Posted on June 10, 2020 by Cameron Tarry and Faith Martinez Smith

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.

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Cameron Tarry

What if we could harness the reaction at the core of the sun to generate power? For decades, scientists have been trying to do just that: create a fusion generator that could supply the world with unlimited clean electricity from hydrogen molecules found in seawater.

The Many Exciting Types of Carbon Capture

Posted on September 2, 2019 by Justin Ong and Ron Munson

Much like the term “energy efficiency”, carbon capture is an umbrella term for many technologies. This overview describes the main technology types.

Climate Change 101: A Dose of Political and Technical Realism

Too often, climate change policy is oversimplified to false choices: renewables versus fossils, economy versus environment, 100% reductions versus inaction. The reality is this: solutions must make the clean energy transition cheaper and faster while preserving economic growth and reflecting the global nature of the challenge.

Carbon Capture,Energy Storage,Geothermal,Innovation,Natural Gas,Nuclear

Regulatory Reform Could Unlock Gigawatts of Zero-Emission Geothermal

Geothermal energy is a highly promising and reliable zero-emission technology. Besides critical investments in R&D, the biggest hindrance to geothermal development are permitting and other regulatory barriers that are more stringent than for oil and gas.

Geothermal,Innovation

Clean Energy Solutions Must Include Nuclear

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Spencer Nelson

U.S. and global climate and clean power goals won’t be achievable without existing and next-generation nuclear generation. The scale of global environmental challenges demands that we continue developing and improving on a range of low-carbon options.

Hydraulic Fracturing: A Public-Private R&D Success Story

Posted on January 29, 2019 by Justin Ong and Ron Munson (Cogentiv Solutions)

The ocean is a promising tool for carbon dioxide removal (CDR). It covers over 70% of the surface area of the planet, holds about 50 times more carbon than the atmosphere, and can store carbon for millennia at its deepest depths.

Intro to Energy Storage

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Faith M. Smith

Energy storage can help the grid in so many ways – it allows us to save electricity for a more appropriate time or can be used in multiple applications to assist in balancing and maintaining the grid.

Long-Duration Energy Storage R&D – An Opportunity For U.S. Clean Energy Leadership

Posted on December 20, 2018 by Spencer Nelson and David M. Hart

American leadership is essential to bend the curve of carbon pollution downward toward zero. A U.S.-powered international initiative to accelerate progress on a technology essential to that push — long-duration energy storage — would demonstrate that leadership.

Reforming Mission Innovation

Posted on October 4, 2018 by Spencer Nelson

Mission Innovation (MI) is an initiative by 22 countries and the European Commission to increase collaboration on clean energy research and development (R&D). The initiative was launched in 2015 by the United States, France, India and a coalition of business leaders.

Energy Storage,Innovation,Nuclear

Natural Gas 101

Natural gas is an energy Swiss Army knife used for electricity generation, transportation fuels, and home heating. The fuel can also be used to make a variety of chemicals, such as fertilizers and hydrogen. Current estimates show the United States has enough natural gas to last us through the end of the 21st century.

Nuclear energy development peaked in the 1970s and 1980s, and most of our current reactors began in those two decades. Increased regulation and opposition from environmental groups and their allies have contributed to the slowdown in nuclear energy growth. Nuclear development in the U.S. has virtually flat-lined for the past three decades and continues to face huge challenges.

Hydropower harnesses the force of flowing water to create electricity. It is one of the oldest and most affordable ways to make electricity. In fact, one of the world’s first commercial power projects made hydroelectricity from Niagara Falls in 1896. In a testament to their durability, many hydropower projects built during that era are still churning out electrons today.

Technology innovation is America’s specialty. It’s what maintains our international leadership and competitive edge and what will ensure our nation’s future success. Half of all economic growth in the U.S. since WWII can be linked to technological innovation.

Carbon Capture 101

Carbon capture, utilization and storage (“CCS” or “CCUS”) refers to a suite of technologies that selectively capture carbon dioxide from industrial sources or the atmosphere, where the captured molecules are geologically stored or “recycled” to make products.

Clear the Path for Nuclear Energy

Posted on August 1, 2017 by NuScale Power CEO John L. Hopkins

The suspension — at least for now — of the first two U.S. conventional nuclear reactors under construction in more than three decades, underscores what was already painfully obvious: the future of nuclear and of clean energy broadly will rest on the backs of people who decide to lead today.

The Need for Federal Energy Innovation

The Department of Energy can return to its innovation heyday, where policymakers, researchers and developers were all on the same page on what was needed to turn a blueprint into a billion-dollar industrial breakthrough. But it’ll take sustained federal dollars and vision to get there.

How Fracking Strengthens America

The gas that lights your stove and heats your water is also changing the world. It’s natural gas, and thanks to fracking, it’s cheap and plentiful in America. Fracking kicked off a new energy renaissance in America. The innovation is one of the factors that has helped bring our economy out of recession and has helped create hundreds of thousands of American jobs across the country.

Yes, Coal Can Power Clean Energy

Posted on March 17, 2016 by Peabody Energy CEO Glenn Kellow

Common sense reforms would boost American energy security, grow the tax base, and help commercialize low-carbon fossil fuel technologies. Instead of just saying no, environmentalists, private firms and government must roll up their sleeves and work together to drive growth and ensure a cleaner, more secure energy future.

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