October is flying by too fast! This weather is gorgeous and I’m constantly craving apple cider donuts, which I have yet to score (but it’s good to have weekend goals). Speaking of weekend goals, a 40-mile bike ride is in my Suynday plans as my finger hovers over the registration button for a 60-mile cider ride in November that, ironically, promises apple cider donuts at the break stations. (No, I’m not just doing the ride to get the donuts. I mean, I’m crazy but maybe not that crazy.)
Anyway, hope your autumn vibes are as high as mine!
This week’s must read: Geothermal Rocks!
In the spirit of celebrating technological attempts and advances, I share this article, This geothermal startup produced a tiny bit of power from the seafloor (Canary Media) about Endurance Energy’s recent test of a non-traditional geothermal site a mile below the surface of the Pacific Ocean.
“This was our first end-to-end demonstration of subsea geothermal as a concept, and we learned just an incredible amount from every stop along the way,” said Andrew Redd, the company’s founder, who hopes his breakthrough will allow island nations to break their reliance on diesel. ““We follow the adage ‘make it exist, then make it good,’” Redd said.
American innovation at work!
If we build it, they will come
[Guys! This was season 13, episode13!]
EVs have been a hot topic lately, with one of the primary issues being the availability and convenience of the charging network.
This week’s guest, Josh Turner, cofounder and CEO of PowerUp America, is driven by personal experience to make the transition to electrification of our transportation sector as seamless as possible. At PowerUp, they focus on expanding and improving the EV charging infrastructure across the US, and making the user experience one that is familiar, easy, and accessible.
Not only that, PowerUp has a state-of-the-art EV charging network. A commitment to innovation and strong community partnerships ensures every charge supports your EV journey. Whether you’re heading out on a cross-country road trip or simply commuting, PowerUp transforms electric travel into an enjoyable and smooth experience.
Tune in and let me know if this compels you to purchase an EV!
Coming up next week, my conversation wtih Sarah Mihalecz, Vice President, Energy Transitions, Corporate Energy Buyers Association. I saw CEBA staff on a number of panels at National Clean Energy Week and reached out to have them talk about why corporate America is invested in and investing in clean energy.
Our latest poll results
Angela asked and your answers were pretty clear.
Nearly 2/3 of our members who responded to our most recent poll said contacting Congress about climate and energy policy has little or no impact. But one result was particularly surprising—and encouraging. 83% still chose an action they would feel motivated to take. People are tired of feeling ignored. They haven’t stopped caring.
Find more intriguing results here.
Modeling the impact of AI on emissions
Our friend Drew Jones and his team at Climate Interactive are the smartest people I know. Their ability to demonstrate the impacts of different policies and variables on carbon emissions is unmatched. So when I saw they were hosting a webinar to show the impacts of AI and data centers on emissions, I knew I wanted to tune in.
Listen, the news isn’t great. As you can see in the above screenshot, emissions from data centers are significant, their growth is outpacing gains in efficiency and decarb, and AI-driven productivity couuld increase the carbon intensity of the economy.
The good news is that information is power and knowing what we know, we can and should be looking at the policies to mitigate the damage. And En-Roads can help with that too!
If you haven’t checked out the En-Roads simulator, here’s your chance to learn more.
Speaking of emissions…
Sadly, the U.S. was the only major economy in the word to not reduce or slow the growth of carbon emissions last year, according to a new UN report. “In terms of magnitude, the increase in the United States of America (133 megatons of CO2 equivalent) far exceeded that of all other countries and was driven by increased electricity demand and a rebound of coal power generation,” the report said.
We can do better—a revenue neutral, border adjustable carbon tax would be a great policy start!
Ending on a high note…
ClearPath’s main takeaways of the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA) are a great primer on why passage of permitting reform is critical to getting more clean energy into the pipeline (no pun intended):
- BAAJA targets duplicative steps and drawn-out legal fights, while keeping the environmental standards that every project must continue to meet in place;
- BAAJA puts federal reviews on a clock, protects permits once they are issued, opens the grid to more power to drive down costs; and
- BAAJA allows developers to seek damages when an agency singles out their type of project for delay or denial, with protections covering dozens of project types from nuclear and pipelines to mining.
On that note, have a great weekend!