This Week in Energy
Happy New Year 2021 from OEP!
We're kicking off the new year with a webinar about city- and state-level public-private partnerships and the energy transition on January 13. Register now!
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New Discussion
As 2021 begins, the energy sector is readying itself for possibilities, challenges, and uncertainties. In December, OurEnergyPolicy hosted a webinar to consider what we might expect for energy in 2021 and to discuss new priorities for the Administration and Congress.
Watch our webinar recording, and comment in our online discussion.
Question 1: What energy sector actions should the new administration prioritize? Reply

Question 2: What are opportunities for bipartisan energy legislation in the new Congress? Reply

Question 3: How do you think that changes in the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 will affect the energy sector and energy demand compared to 2020? Reply
What energy sector actions should the new administration prioritize?
"The two obvious priorities are to zero out net CO2 from making electricity and from ground vehicles, at minimum cost as quickly as possible. What worries me most deeply is to see how ordinary stakeholder discussions like COP25 or the NRDC discussion, which led to the Waxman climate bill in 2009, have always converged on Christmas tree packages which cost 100 times as much as needed, for about the same improvement in climate. Sectoral measures in these two areas (and three others we should be pursuing) need to be very well grounded in the technical and microecononomic and legal realities...."

"...I was very happy in 2009 to have a friendly discussion with Sanders, who sounds a lot more reasonable than any of the folks selling things to Biden, except for Kerry himself.... The economics and technology of electricity is very different from what most policy folks imagine.... At http://www.werbos.com/E/GridIOT.pdf, I gave a review of the many critical technology changes which totally change what works, reviewed and funded by many levels of IEEE and the power industry in [the] U.S., France and South America."

- Paul Werbos, Program Director for Energy, Power and Adaptive Systems, National Science Foundation (retired)
"The most critical energy sector policy the United States should initiate is to work on developing a comprehensive strategic plan to reduce the country’s net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions towards zero by 2050, and encourage the Paris climate agreement to be evolved to require every other country to develop a comparable strategic plan. Otherwise, global warming will not be halted and the U.S. and world will likely suffer catastrophic consequences...."

"...The effectiveness of these national strategic plans must be monitored over time and the plans can be modified later as new technological options are proven to be viable. The global warming crisis is analogous to the situation the U.S. and world faced during World War II, and it requires comprehensive planning and actions on that scale over the long term to address it properly...."

- Henry Goldberg, Consultant, Independent
Publications in the OurEnergyLibrary
Center for Strategic &
International Studies
December 17, 2020
World Resources Institute
December 16, 2020
Find these publications and others in the OurEnergyLibrary.
Featured Podcast
Political Climate digs into a new analysis on how to put the U.S. on a path to deep decarbonization and economic growth on this episode—the final episode of Political Climate's "Relief, Rescue, Rebuild" series. Lindsey Walter, senior policy advisor for Third Way’s Climate and Energy program, breaks down the policies and technology pathways to reach net zero emissions by 2050 in an equitable and affordable way. 

Plus, the episode includes a conversation with two wind energy technicians who are training the next generation of wind workers in the Midwest about how the industry has affected their region, the opportunities for growth, and their message to policymakers. 
Featured Energy Events
  • When: Wed, Jan 6, 2-3 p.m. Eastern Time

  • When: Thurs, Jan 7, 2:30-4 p.m. Eastern Time

  • When: Wed, Jan 13, 12-1 p.m. Eastern Time

  • When: Tues, Jan 19, 1:30-2:30 pm Eastern Time
Join our partner, Energy Dialogues LLC, for a webinar on January 26, 2020, at 2-3 p.m. Eastern Time, on energy transitions and decarbonization in the Americas, European Union, and developing countries. See the registration page for details.
Visit the OurEnergyPolicy Events Calendar to see more events from energy organizations across the country.
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