The Clean Energy Innovation Academy (CEIA) is an ongoing educational series focused on conservative clean energy technology and policy. In 2020, this series consisted of seven educational briefings with industry experts and university partners on technologies including advanced nuclear, storage, hydropower, natural gas, carbon capture and geothermal. Certification was awarded to 13 individuals, who completed four or more sessions. The Academy was hosted by ClearPath and the Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI). Stay tuned for details on 2021 programming.
Manager, Electricity Market Sector at Battelle, PNNL
Description:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) joined us to examine the power grid of today and how it will look in the future to deliver reliable, sustainable and affordable electricity.
Carbon Capture: A Path to Net-Zero is Charted by American Innovators - September 1, 2020
There are many exciting types of carbon capture, and the future is bright thanks to the 45Q tax credit. Jennifer Atcheson with ION Clean Energy, a Colorado company working on an exciting iteration on carbon capture technology highlighted their work; and John Northington, director of the country’s leading carbon capture test center, joined us for an outlook on the future of this technology.
Energy Storage: Getting Beyond Lithium Ion - September 15, 2020
Director, Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science (ACCESS), and Deputy Director, Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR)
Description:
This 60-minute conversation touched on how close we really are to grid scale energy, storage current R&D focus areas and opportunities like the Energy Storage Grand Challenge or the Energy Storage Launchpad, and exciting private sector storage breakthroughs.
Hydropower: The Flexible, Baseload, Forgotten Renewable - October 13, 2020
Program Analyst, Water Power Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Description:
This 60-minute conversation touched on the environmental impacts of hydropower and new development opportunities within the United States. Although the large-scale development opportunities in the mold of Grand Coulee and the Hoover Dam are tapped out in the United States, modern applications will leverage existing infrastructure and provide valuable grid services.
Natural Gas: How the U.S. Reduced CO2 Emissions in the Last Decade - October 22, 2020
Natural gas has delivered the majority of greenhouse gas reductions in the U.S. power sector over the past decade. This 60-minute conversation touched on the potential of natural gas to deliver even more emissions reductions in the economy of the future, from cleaner production methods to new applications that can dramatically reduce carbon emissions.
Nuclear: Clear the Path for Advanced Nuclear Energy - October 27, 2020
This 60-minute conversation touched on what utilities need to deploy advanced nuclear energy to meet their decarbonization goals with support from the National Labs, access to financing, continued regulatory modernization, and opportunities for international collaboration.
Geothermal: Heat from the Ground Up - November 12, 2020
Executive Director, Geothermal Entrepreneurship Organization (GEO), Cockrell School of Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
Description:
This 60-minute conversation touched on how geothermal energy fits into a clean energy future within the United States, particularly research and development opportunities through the Department of Energy, the various types of technologies that exist, how oil and gas intersects with geothermal, and updates on current exciting projects that are underway.
