Powering The Future: Decarbonizing Our Economy with 24/7 Clean Energy

To meet the growing needs of the United States power and industrial sectors—we need to build more clean energy. Emerging at the forefront of energy conversations is the importance of 24/7 clean energy capacity, known as "clean firm", and the shifts needed to commercialize new technologies that can power economy-wide decarbonization.

On Tuesday, September 24th, NYC Climate Week stakeholders joined Third Way for an event focused on clean firm power and energy system sustainability. At this event, our senior experts, Ryan Norman and Shane Londagin provided the climate community with a deep dive on clean firm technologies, their role in fostering a secure energy system, and the challenges the US faces in meeting the increasing demand for 24/7 power on the grid.

This event included a brief issue overview and a moderated discussion with leaders from Google, Constellation, and the White House to unpack the US’ path to commercialize advanced clean energy, satisfy growing energy demand, and secure our energy grid. A brief Q&A and networking reception also followed the panel.

Featured Speakers:

• Kathleen Barrón is Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Constellation where she is responsible for corporate strategy, public policy, sustainability, and other strategic matters related to Constellation’s wholesale market competitiveness. Prior to Constellation, she was the Deputy General Counsel at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
• Lucia Tian is Head of Clean Energy and Decarbonization Technologies for Google where she leads Google’s team responsible for developing and scaling advanced clean technologies through strategic investments, offtake, and partnerships, to achieve Google’s global 24/7 carbon-free energy and net zero goals. Prior to Google, Lucia served as Senior Advisor to the US Department of Energy’s Chief Commercialization Officer, and as Chief Strategist for the Loan Programs Office.
• Dr. Kelly Sanders is Assistant Director for Energy Systems Innovation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy where she advises on strategies to accelerate the adoption of early-stage clean energy and grid modernization technologies. Dr. Sanders also serves as Associate Professor in the University of Southern California’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and has focused extensively on topics at the intersection of engineering, science, and policy.

View the Powering the Future Slideshow.