Energy Policy Now

Daniel Poneman, former U.S. Deputy Energy Secretary and current CEO of Centrus Energy, explores resurgent interest in nuclear power a decade after Fukushima. --- Growing concern over energy security and climate change has revived interest in nuclear power in some of the world’s most energy-intensive economies. In Japan, nuclear generators that closed following the 2011 Fukushima disaster are reopening, while Germany has extended the operating life of the country’s remaining nuclear facilities. And in the United States recent legislation, including the Inflation Reduction Act, earmarks billions of dollars to support economically struggling nuclear power plants and the development of next-generation nuclear technology. Yet the future of nuclear energy remains far from certain as challenges around cost, complexity, and spent fuel disposal persist. Daniel Poneman, chief executive of nuclear fuel supplier Centrus Energy and former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, discusses the political and market dynamics underpinning the nuclear industry’s resurgence in developed economies. He also examines the potential for small modular reactor technology to deliver economic, and carbon free, electricity in the future. Related Content The Net Zero Governance Conveyor Belt https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/research/publications/the-net-zero-governance-conveyor-belt/ Wholesale Electricity Justice https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/research/publications/wholesale-electricity-justice/ Can Nuclear Hit Its Stride in Africa? https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/research/publications/can-nuclear-hit-its-stride-in-africa-power-to-the-people-evaluating-nuclear-as-a-bridge-to-sustainable-energy-in-africa/   Energy Policy Now is produced by The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. For all things energy policy, visit kleinmanenergy.upenn.eduSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Moore, author of China’s Next Act, discusses China’s global role in energy technology and sustainability. --- China is indispensable in the global effort to address climate change and speed forward the transition to clean energy. Yet the country, which leads the world in both energy consumption and the manufacture of clean energy technologies, finds itself engaged in increasingly tense diplomatic and economic relations with the world’s developed economies, its key partners in addressing shared global challenges.  The degree to which these tensions frame China’s relationship with much of the world, and the degree to which China acts as a collaborative, or a competitive force in addressing global challenges, has implications for the global energy system and quality of our environment. Scott Moore, Director of China Programs and Strategic Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania, and author of China’s Next Act: How Sustainability and Technology are Reshaping China’s Rise and the World’s Future, explores how China’s state-directed economic system, and the country’s economic ambitions, influence global efforts to advance energy technology and the energy transition. Related Content The Net-Zero Governance Conveyor Belt  https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/research/publications/the-net-zero-governance-conveyor-belt/ East Meets West: Linking the China and EU ETS’s https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/research/publications/east-meets-west-linking-the-china-and-eu-etss/   The Not-So-Rare Earth Elements: A Question of Supply and Demand  https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/research/publications/the-not-so-rare-earth-elements-a-question-of-supply-and-demand/   Energy Policy Now is produced by The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. For all things energy policy, visit kleinmanenergy.upenn.eduSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Berkeley economist Meredith Fowlie explains why the drive to electrify everything in American homes is at odds with electricity rate setting practices, and explores pricing reforms to deliver rapid and equitable electrification. --- “Electrify everything” has become a mantra of decarbonization, and it’s one of the key strategies to reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Yet the process of electrifying everything from home heating to transportation creates challenges for the electricity system, which will need to grow to accommodate renewable energy and rising demand for power.     This raises a fundamental question: How can society make costly investments to grow the supply of power, while keeping the cost of electricity low enough that electrifying everything remains an attractive proposition for all consumers?   Meredith Fowlie, an energy and environmental economist at the University of California, Berkeley, explains why existing frameworks for setting consumer electricity prices can be at odds with the need to rapidly decarbonize. She also explores potential solutions to ensure that electrification happens rapidly, with costs and benefits that are equitably shared among households at all income levels.   Related Content Wholesale Electricity Justice  https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/research/publications/wholesale-electricity-justice/      What Impact will the IRA Have on Consumer Energy Costs  https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/podcast/what-impact-will-the-ira-have-on-consumer-energy-costs/ The Economics of Building Electrification https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/research/publications/the-economics-of-building-electrification/   Energy Policy Now is produced by The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. For all things energy policy, visit kleinmanenergy.upenn.eduSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As energy industry growth shifts to the clean sector, oil and gas industry workers seek their paths forward. --- The past three years have been a particularly volatile period for the oil and gas industry. The sector has been impacted by the Covid pandemic, during which energy demand crashed and the price of oil contracts briefly went negative. More recently, oil and gas prices reached peaks in response to the war in Ukraine and the tightening of energy supply. In addition to this volatility, growing pressure to reduce dependence on fossil fuels raises the prospect that the industry will face not only customary market uncertainty going forward, but also eventual structural decline for its fossil-based products. Katie Mehnert, an ambassador with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Equity in Energy Initiative, takes a look at the challenges that an evolving energy market landscape and anxiety over the future role of the oil and gas industry bring to the industry’s workers and their communities. Mehnert, who is CEO of Ally Energy, a Houston company that seeks to increase equality in the energy industry, also discusses efforts to promote diversity through the energy transition. Katie Mehnert is CEO of Ally Energy, an ambassador with the Department of Energy’s Equity in Energy Initiative, and a member of the National Petroleum Council. She formerly held senior management positions with BP and Shell in Houston, Texas. Related Content Wholesale Electricity Justice https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/research/publications/wholesale-electricity-justice/ Scaling Green Hydrogen for a Global Market https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/podcast/scaling-green-hydrogen-for-a-global-market/ How Coal Maintains Its Political Hold on West Virginia https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/podcast/how-coal-maintains-its-political-hold-on-west-virginia/   Energy Policy Now is produced by The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. For all things energy policy, visit kleinmanenergy.upenn.eduSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew Hoffman, dean of Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine, explores the intersection of climate change, agricultural sustainability, and food security. --- Experts from the University of Pennsylvania are on the ground at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. In this special series from Energy Policy Now, they share their observations from the global climate conference and insights into key issues under negotiation. Andrew Hoffman, dean of Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine, discusses COP27’s focus on the global food system, and the pressures that climate change is placing on food production. He also highlights research at the School of Veterinary Medicine into the intersection of sustainable agriculture and food security. Andrew Hoffman is dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.   Energy Policy Now is produced by The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. For all things energy policy, visit kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt has been called the “implementation COP”. Yet concern exists that the COP process may be ill suited to putting climate plans into action. --- Experts from the University of Pennsylvania are on the ground at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. In this special series from Energy Policy Now, they share their observations from the global climate conference and insights into key issues under negotiation. Koko Warner, manager of the UNFCCC’s Vulnerability subdivision, explains why COP27 in Egypt has been declared the “implementation COP.” She also examines why implementation – the process of putting into practice the mitigation and adaptation plans developed during past global climate meetings – presents a challenge for the COP framework. Koko Warner is a visiting fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House. She is the manager of the UNFCCC’s Vulnerability subdivision, and is a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth and Sixth Assessment reports.   Energy Policy Now is produced by The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. For all things energy policy, visit kleinmanenergy.upenn.eduSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food waste is a major driver of climate change, and a cause of food insecurity. UPenn’s Steven Finn highlights the challenge and solutions discussed at COP27. --- Experts from the University of Pennsylvania are on the ground at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. In this special series from Energy Policy Now, they share observations from the global climate conference and insights into key issues under negotiation. Steven Finn, affiliated faculty in Penn’s Organizational Dynamics program, discusses the role that food waste plays in driving climate change, and in contributing to the global challenge of food insecurity. Steve also examines the growing focus on food security within the COP framework, and innovations that seek to reduce the food system’s environmental impact while meeting the demands of a growing global population. Steven Finn is affiliated faculty in the Organizational Dynamics program at the University of Pennsylvania, and Vice President of Food Waste Prevention at Leanpath.   Energy Policy Now is produced by The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. For all things energy policy, visit kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Moore, Director of the Penn Global China Program, discusses China’s perspective on loss and damage finance, and the country’s future role in the Paris climate process. --- Experts from the University of Pennsylvania are on the ground at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. In this special series from Energy Policy Now, they share observations from the global climate conference and insights into key issues under negotiation.   Scott Moore, Director of the Penn Global China Program, discusses China’s role in global climate negotiations in an era of tense U.S.-China relations. Scott explores China’s role in getting loss and damage finance included in this year’s COP agenda, and the tensions created by China’s position as both a developing country and major source of greenhouse gas emissions.   Scott Moore is Director of the Penn Global China Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Scott’s work focuses on China, climate change, and international relations. He is the author of the recently published book, China’s Next Act: How Sustainability and Technology are Reshaping China’s Rise and the World’s Future.   Energy Policy Now is produced by The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. For all things energy policy, visit kleinmanenergy.upenn.eduSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three experts on cities discuss the efforts of urban communities to navigate climate change. --- Experts from the University of Pennsylvania are on the ground at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. In this special series from Energy Policy Now, they share their observations from the global climate conference and insights into key issues under negotiation. Eugenie Birch, Bill Burke-White, and Mauricio Rodas of the University of Pennsylvania explore the challenges that climate change, and effects ranging from extreme heat to flooding, present to cities in an era of rapid urbanization. They also discuss how cities are acting in concert to address climate impacts. Eugenie Birch is the Lawrence C. Nussdorf Chair of Urban Research and Education at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design. Her recent work focuses on global urbanization. Bill Burke-White is a Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and an expert on U.S. foreign policy, multilateral institutions, and international law. Mauricio Rodas is a Visiting Fellow with the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House. From 2014 to 2019 he was the mayor of Quito, Ecuador.   Energy Policy Now is produced by The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. For all things energy policy, visit kleinmanenergy.upenn.eduSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New research explores ways to measure countries' success in adapting to climate change.--- Experts from the University of Pennsylvania are on the ground at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. In this special series from Energy Policy Now, they share their observations from the global climate conference and insights into key issues under negotiation. Allison Lassiter of the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design discusses the role of National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) in the Paris Climate process, and research that seeks to measure the success of national efforts to address climate risk. Allison Lassiter is an assistant professor in city and regional planning at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design. Her research focuses on adapting water systems to climate change and measuring the impacts of sustainability policies. Energy Policy Now is produced by The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. For all things energy policy, visit kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.