Clean Energy EXPO 2024: Renewable Energy

The 27th Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO and Policy Forum was held on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. The event was hosted by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), with the House and Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (REEE) Caucuses serving as honorary co-hosts. It featured seven panels, including Renewable Energy.

Highlights

Eric Lantz, Director of Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

• Wind energy has grown from nine gigawatts two decades ago to over 150 gigawatts today. Wind is one of the lowest-cost sources of electricity supply and now accounts for about 10% of national supply annually, with some regions seeing up to 90% wind penetration during peak times.
• Modern wind turbines generate four times more energy than older models and are much more efficient and adaptable to a broader range of conditions. The United States has tens of gigawatts of offshore wind in the development pipeline, with efforts to foster nascent floating wind technology to expand clean energy capacity.
• Wind energy provides wage and employment benefits to communities where projects are hosted, benefits that are particularly valuable to Black and Hispanic workers.
• To meet clean electricity goals, wind energy installations need to increase from 8-10 gigawatts to 30-50 gigawatts annually. Key challenges include scaling up production, integrating offshore wind, and tailoring land-based turbines to better coexist with local communities and wildlife.
• Enhanced transmission and distribution infrastructure is also crucial due to wind energy's often rural location. New business models are needed to involve farming communities in the energy transition and ensure broad participation.

Malcolm Woolf, President and CEO, National Hydropower Association (NHA)

• Hydropower provides power to about 30 million Americans, accounts for 30% of U.S. renewable energy, and offers 96% of long-duration energy storage. There are 80 gigawatts of hydropower on the grid and 22 gigawatts of pumped storage.
• Hydropower, which can easily be turned on and off, offers dispatchable power to meet demand when other renewables cannot. Also, hydropower can deliver crucial grid services that coal and gas now provide, such as black start (i.e., starting the grid after a blackout). Hydropower offsets more carbon emissions than any other renewable source.
• A Department of Energy (DOE) study identified up to 50 gigawatts of potential new hydropower using dams already in place, including converting current non-power dams to sources of power generation.
• Hydropower faces challenges, including lack of tax parity with other renewable energy sources in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) (P.L. 117-169), an outdated licensing process taking over eight years on average, and market design issues where flexibility within hydropower is not financially rewarded.
• 459 facilities are up for relicensing in the next decade, with nearly 40% of operators considering decommissioning. Efforts are underway to address these issues through bipartisan license reform and tax legislation and collaborative dialogues with diverse stakeholders.

Connor Dolan, Vice President of External Affairs, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA)

• Hydrogen is emerging as a key player in both economic growth and decarbonization. It can be produced from a variety of sources, including fossil fuels with carbon capture and sequestration, nuclear, renewables like solar and wind, and even drilling underground to find natural deposits of hydrogen.
• Hydrogen can be used for any energy application: heating, industrial decarbonization, and transportation. In the United States, there are 15,000 hydrogen cars, fuel cell electric buses, and hydrogen trucks in operation. Hydrogen is also considered crucial for long-term and large-scale energy storage.
• The recent DOE clean hydrogen roadmap highlights the potential to develop 50 million metric tons of clean hydrogen production capacity, which would create 3.5 million jobs, reduce carbon intensity by 16%, decrease nitrogen oxide intensity by 36%, and account for 14% of U.S. energy demand.
• Hydrogen is a domestic resource that the United States must invest in heavily to compete globally. China, Japan, Europe, and South Korea are also making substantial investments in hydrogen.
• Hydrogen can contribute to decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors like heavy-duty transport and industry. New funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (P.L. 117-58) included $8 billion for hydrogen hubs. The section 45V tax credits for clean hydrogen production included in the IRA are also expected to boost the domestic hydrogen economy.

Charles Bolden, Senior Director of Congressional Affairs, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)

• The United States recently surpassed five million solar installations and the sector supports approximately 230,000 jobs. 2023 was a record year for solar, with 35 gigawatts installed, including 13 gigawatts in the fourth quarter alone. Domestic module manufacturing nearly doubled from eight to 16 gigawatts.
• Solar energy is abundant and accessible. The sun provides more energy in an hour than the world uses in a year. Advances in solar technology have made it more efficient and versatile.
• Declining costs and increased domestic manufacturing due to IRA investments enhance the attractiveness of solar investments.
• On a global scale, decentralized solar energy has the potential to bridge the energy access gap. Solar power, solar micro-grids, and off-grid solar systems offer scalable and sustainable solutions to bring electricity to remote and underserved areas.

Karl Hausker, Senior Fellow, Climate and Energy, World Resources Institute (WRI)

• Geothermal energy is a long-standing, zero-carbon power source. The United States currently has about four gigawatts of generation, using naturally occurring hot water to generate electricity. Advanced drilling techniques now allow us to create geothermal reservoirs underground.
• New methods include enhanced geothermal systems (i.e., creating fissures for water circulation), closed loop systems (i.e., single pipe systems), and super hot rock (i.e., drilling to access extremely hot rock at great depths).
• Geothermal can contribute to clean, firm, dispatchable power needed for a reliable grid. It complements solar and wind by providing consistent power, and there is potential to add 100-300 gigawatts to the grid by 2050.
• Geothermal has minimal environmental impact with a small land footprint, low air emissions, minimal water use through recycling, and little risk of water reservoir contamination. However, managing minor induced earthquakes is important.

Compiled by Lindsey Snyder and edited for clarity and length. This is not a transcript.

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